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、和远程控制公用事业网络设备，区别于典型的（但远不那么普遍的）pc级微处理器，其相对较低的功耗和内存和速度的固有限制。据预测，在未来几年内，与我们的电话和计算机网络相连的嵌入式微处理器应用程序的数量将急剧增加。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环境中运行。同时，这些网络使远程访问和操纵各种敏感资源成为可能，包括银行记录、医疗信息、报警系统和工业机械。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，直到最近，密码学才从一个局限于一个小的、封闭的社区的特殊兴趣的学科发展成为一个实用的、重要的工具，以实现安全的通信和信息基础设施。因此，对密码学作为一门工程学科的接受仍处于早期阶段。美国加密行业已经出现了“加密工程师”短缺的问题。除非对加密工程师的教育采取严肃的行动，否则这种负面趋势预计将持续下去。研究人员从视角出发，提出了研究与教育问题的综合解决方案。为了解决分布式网络中的安全问题，研究将重点放在具有挑战性的新要求的公钥和密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、高度可扩展和节能的加密安全解决方案。研究人员认为，这项研究将为研究生和本科生探索密码学的坚实工程实践提供完美的教育环境。在本科阶段引入严格的密码学课程，丰富国际合作和前沿研究，将培养熟练的加密工程师，这对安全基础设施的未来发展至关重要。

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.