Research Info

Summary

The following contents deal with a pilot study on the topic "Simulation of Hardware Reverse Engineering in an Online Gaming Environment". The pilot study is conducted at the Anonymous department at the Anonymous institution.

The goal of this pilot study is to test whether the developed hardware reverse engineering simulation (HRE simulation) can be played by people who have no prior knowledge or experience in relevant fields such as computer science, IT security, or electrical engineering. This will help us to optimize the game mechanics, evaluate the solvability of different levels of complexity, and to design follow-up studies. This study is intended for individuals who are at least 18 years old.

Procedure of the study

The study takes place online, so you can participate from home. In total, participation in the pilot study will take approximately 30-60 minutes. A laptop or PC and an Internet connection are mandatory for participation. For technical reasons, participation via smartphone or tablet is not possible.

The pilot study starts with two so-called training and qualification phases, which are an integral part of the HRE simulation and are thus also conducted online. During the training and qualification phases you will get to know all game elements as well as the objectives of the game and you will be able to solve first smaller levels. After completing the training and qualification phases, we would like you to solve the main levels of the HRE simulation.

Your solution paths, your clicks on various game elements (switches in the game levels as well as clicks on all buttons) and your required solution time per level will be saved in the form of pseudonymized, text-based log files. These log files are stored during the training and qualification phases as well as during the solution of the main levels. Furthermore, we save your drawings created with the painting tools within the game levels. (Note: This part of the original participant information does not apply to the present edition of the game which is intended for blind review. We will not record your interactions.)

After completing the main levels of the HRE simulation, we still ask you to participate in a short survey in which we ask you some demographic questions as well as questions about your prior knowledge and give you the opportunity to give us feedback on the HRE simulation.

Voluntariness

Participation in this pilot study is voluntary. You can terminate your participation in this study at any time and without giving reasons, without incurring any disadvantages.

Data protection and right to data deletion

All data collected as part of the study will be treated confidentially. The data collected in this study will be stored and analyzed anonymously. Anonymization is achieved by assigning you a unique identifier consisting of numbers and letters for participation in the study materials.

You have the right to request the deletion of your data from the questionnaires and the log files at any time. This will then be carried out immediately.

We do not collect any personal data as part of the simulation; for example, we do not store your IP address.

All data collected as part of the study will be used for scientific purposes only and stored on a server that complies with data protection laws. The results and parts of the data of this study may be published as a scientific publication. This will be done in anonymized form, i.e., the data cannot be assigned to a specific person. The anonymized data of this study may be made available to others in digitized form in a data archive. Here, too, no information is included that allows conclusions to be drawn about individual participants.