Detecting unwanted components in a critical asset based on emi fingerprints generated with a sinusoidal load

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for detecting unwanted electronic components in a target asset, the method comprising:

• generating a sinusoidal load for the target asset;
• obtaining target EMI signals by monitoring EMI signals generated by the target asset while the target asset is executing the sinusoidal load;
• generating a target EMI fingerprint from the target EMI signals;
• and
• comparing the target EMI fingerprint against a reference EMI fingerprint for the target asset to determine whether the target asset contains unwanted electronic components.

A system that detects unwanted electronic components in a target asset, comprising:

• at least one processor and at least one associated memory;
• and
• a detection mechanism that executes on the at least one processor, wherein the detection mechanism:
• generates a sinusoidal load for the target asset;
• obtains target EMI signals by monitoring EMI signals generated by the target asset while the target asset is executing the sinusoidal load;
• generates a target EMI fingerprint from the target EMI signals;
• and
• compares the target EMI fingerprint against a reference EMI fingerprint for the target asset to determine whether the target asset contains unwanted electronic components.