CAREER: New Directions for Cryptographic Hardware

这里描述的研究解决了分布式网络和嵌入式环境的信息安全问题。嵌入式应用程序存在于大量现有和新兴技术中，包括移动电话、个人数字助理、智能卡和远程控制的公用网络设备，它们与典型的(但不太流行的)PC级微处理器的区别在于，它们的功耗相对较低，并且在内存和速度方面存在固有限制。据预测，在未来几年内，连接到我们的电话和计算机网络的具有嵌入式微处理器的应用程序的数量将大幅增加。例如，预计在未来几年内，50%的互联网终端设备将不得不在受限的环境中运行。与此同时，这些网络使人们能够远程访问和操纵各种敏感资源，包括银行记录、医疗信息、警报系统和工业机械。显然需要在这些设备的加密安全领域进行长期规划和有针对性的研究。然而，密码学只是在最近才从一门局限于一个小而封闭的社区的特殊利益的学科发展成为一种能够实现安全通信和信息基础设施的实用和重要的工具。因此，密码学作为一门工程学科的接受程度仍处于早期阶段。美国行业已经在经历“密码工程师”的短缺。这一负面趋势预计将继续下去，除非在密码工程师的教育方面采取认真的行动。研究者从视角出发，提出了研究与教育问题的综合解决方案。为了对分布式网络中的安全问题提供解决方案，研究将集中在具有挑战性的新需求的公钥和私钥算法的硬件实现上。这项研究的长期目标是为市场带来灵活、低成本、高度可扩展和高能效的密码安全解决方案。研究人员相信，这项研究将为研究生和本科生提供完美的教育环境，以探索密码学坚实的工程实践。在本科阶段引入的严格的密码学课程，丰富了国际合作，尖端研究将培养出熟练的密码工程师，这对未来安全基础设施的发展将是必不可少的。

The research described here addresses information security issues for distributed networks and embedded environments. Embedded applications are found in a vast array of existing and emerging technologies, including mobile phones, personal digital assistants, smart cards, and remote-controlled utility network devices and are distinguished from typical (but far less prevalent) PC-level microprocessors in their relatively low power consumption and inherent limitations on memory and speed. It is predicted that the number of applications with embedded microprocessors which will be connected to our telephone and computer networks will increase dramatically over the next few years. For instance, it is anticipated that within the next few years, 50% of all Internet end-devices will have to operate in constrained environments. At the same time, these networks are enabling remote access to, and manipulation of, sensitive resources of all sorts, including bank records, medical information, alarm system, and industrial machinery. The need is clear for long-term planning and directed research in the area of cryptographic security for these devices. However, cryptography has only recently evolved from a discipline confined to the special interest of a small, closed community to become a practical and vital tool to enable a secure communications and information infrastructure. As a consequence, the acceptance of cryptography as an engineering discipline is still in its early stages. The US industry is already experiencing a shortage of "crypto engineers". This negative trend is expected to continue, unless serious actions are taken for the education of crypto engineers. The researchers propose an integrated solution for the research and education problems in perspective. To contribute solutions to the security problems in distributed networks, the research will focus on the hardware implementations of public and secret key algorithms with challenging new requirements. The long-term ambition of this research is to bring cryptographic security solutions to the market which are flexible, low-cost, highly scalable, and power efficient. The researchers believe that this research will provide graduate and undergraduate students the perfect educational setting to explore solid engineering practices of cryptography. A rigorous cryptography curriculum introduced at the undergraduate level, enriched with international collaborations, and cutting edge research will create skilled crypto engineers, that will be essential in the future development of secured infrastructures.