A bit off topic, but interesting discussion of extracting keys from a chip using power analysis.
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Backdoor-found-in-popular-FPGA-chip-1585579.html ... The researchers located the JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) interface on the FPGA, used for programming the chip, and applied a fuzzing-like approach to derive information about the functionality of the JTAG engine on the chip. That analysis led to the discovery of one function that was requesting a 128-bit key that was not the passkey. The researchers used Pipeline Emission Analysis (PEA), a more sensitive form of differential power analysis, to extract this key. The research is sponsored by Quo Vadis Labs, who specialise in PEA and its use in extracting keys from secure devices. ... What is known is that fuzzing the JTAG interface, in combination with technology such as PAE, is a viable way of locating backdoors and that such backdoors would probably require the replacement of the entire chip as it is unlikely that the problem could be patched in place. The paper also suggests that identifying backdoors and extracting keys would offer "a new and inviting area of cyber warfare". A response from Actel/Microsemi on the research findings is awaited; the paper is to presented at September's "Workshop on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems 2012" (CHES 2012). _______________________________________________ cryptography mailing list cryptography@randombit.net http://lists.randombit.net/mailman/listinfo/cryptography
