A circuit board implant is an extra electronic board added to a device to change its behavior, monitor it, or communicate with other systems. It may be connected to the device’s existing circuitry or operate as a hidden component. Unlike a software compromise, an implant involves physical modification of the hardware.
In cyber security, an implant can undermine trust in a device before it reaches its owner, making it a potential supply-chain or physical-tampering threat. For example, a covert board could be designed to capture sensitive data or transmit it over a network. Such behavior should not be assumed without evidence: investigators must examine the hardware and verify what the component does. Defenses include buying through trusted channels, checking tamper evidence, and having suspicious devices examined before entering sensitive information.