SHF: Small: Hardware-Level Security to Side-Channel Analysis Attacks

计算机天生容易受到将其操作特性(例如，功耗)与存储在其中的秘密信息(例如，密码密钥)相关联的所谓的侧通道安全攻击。以前旨在解决此漏洞的方法受到令人望而却步的高功率、高面积和高性能开销的阻碍。该研究项目探索了设计安全计算机的技术，使用的技术有可能产生比传统计算硬件更安全的计算设备，而在性能、面积和能效方面几乎没有牺牲。这项研究工作还包括开发本科高级设计课程的项目，以及通过各种外展计划吸引高中生参与。该项目将探索新的硬件设计技术，这些技术本质上可以抵抗旁路攻击，同时获得可与主流设计技术相媲美的性能、面积和功率水平。具体地说，它将探索回收用于其运行的能量的电路拓扑，从而产生卓越的能效和不受旁路攻击的扁平功耗分布。它还将探索具有面积高效逻辑系列和可抵抗旁路攻击的扁平功耗分布的流水线体系结构。建议的技术将通过硅原型的设计、制造和实验评估进行评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Computers are inherently vulnerable to so-called side-channel security attacks that correlate their operating characteristics (e.g., power consumption) with secret information stored in them (e.g., cryptographic keys). Previous approaches aimed at addressing this vulnerability are hampered by prohibitively-high power, area, and performance overheads. This research project explores technologies for designing secure computers, using technologies that have the potential to yield computing devices that are significantly more secure than conventional computing hardware with little-or-no sacrifice in performance, area, and energy efficiency. This research effort also includes the development of projects for advanced undergraduate-level design courses, and the engagement of high-school students through a variety of outreach programs.This project will explore novel hardware design technologies that are inherently resistant to side-channel attacks while achieving performance, area, and power levels that compare favorably with mainstream design technologies. Specifically, it will explore circuit topologies that recycle the energy used for their operation, yielding superior energy efficiency and a flat power consumption profile that is immune to side-channel attacks. It will also explore pipeline architectures with area-efficient logic families and a flat power consumption profile that can resist side-channel attacks. The proposed technologies will be evaluated through the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of silicon prototypes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.