Cryptography

25 pages, 717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SimpliFI: Hardware Simulation of Embedded Software Fault Attacks

by Jacob Grycel and Patrick Schaumont

Cryptography 2021, 5(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryptography5020015 - 07 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4805

Fault injection simulation on embedded software is typically captured using a high-level fault model that expresses fault behavior in terms of programmer-observable quantities. These fault models hide the true sensitivity of the underlying processor hardware to fault injection, and they are unable to correctly capture fault effects in the programmer-invisible part of the processor microarchitecture. We present SimpliFI, a simulation methodology to test fault attacks on embedded software using a hardware simulation of the processor running the software. We explain the purpose and advantage of SimpliFI, describe automation of the simulation framework, and apply SimpliFI on a BRISC-V embedded processor running an AES application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Hardware Security)

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27 pages, 590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associative Blockchain for Decentralized PKI Transparency

by Xavier Boyen, Udyani Herath, Matthew McKague and Douglas Stebila

Cryptography 2021, 5(2), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryptography5020014 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3862

Abstract

The conventional public key infrastructure (PKI) model, which powers most of the Internet, suffers from an excess of trust into certificate authorities (CAs), compounded by a lack of transparency which makes it vulnerable to hard-to-detect targeted stealth impersonation attacks. Existing approaches to make certificate issuance more transparent, including ones based on blockchains, are still somewhat centralized. We present decentralized PKI transparency (DPKIT): a decentralized client-based approach to enforcing transparency in certificate issuance and revocation while eliminating single points of failure. DPKIT efficiently leverages an existing blockchain to realize an append-only, distributed associative array, which allows anyone (or their browser) to audit and update the history of all publicly issued certificates and revocations for any domain. Our technical contributions include definitions for append-only associative ledgers, a security model for certificate transparency, and a formal analysis of our DPKIT construction with respect to the same. Intended as a client-side browser extension, DPKIT will be effective at fraud detection and prosecution, even under fledgling user adoption, and with better coverage and privacy than federated observatories, such as Google’s or the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s. Full article

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17 pages, 3831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CONFISCA: An SIMD-Based Concurrent FI and SCA Countermeasure with Switchable Performance and Security Modes

by Ehsan Aerabi, David Hély, Cyril Bresch, Athanasios Papadimitriou and Mahdi Fazeli

Cryptography 2021, 5(2), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryptography5020013 - 06 May 2021

Viewed by 2555

Abstract

CONFISCA is the first generic SIMD-based software countermeasure that can concurrently resist against Side-Channel Attack (SCA) and Fault Injection (FI). Its promising strength is presented in a PRESENT cipher case study and compared to software-based Dual-rail with Pre-charge Logic concurrent countermeasure. It has lower overhead, wider usability, and higher protection. Its protection has been compared using Correlation Power Analysis, Welch’s T-Test, Signal-to-Noise Ratio and Normalized Inter-Class Variance testing methods. CONFISCA can on-the-fly switch between its two modes of operation: The High-Performance and High-Security by having only one instance of the cipher. This gives us the flexibility to trade performance/energy with security, based on the actual critical needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Hardware Security)

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30 pages, 4820 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grid Cyber-Security Strategy in an Attacker-Defender Model

by Yu-Cheng Chen, Vincent John Mooney III and Santiago Grijalva

Cryptography 2021, 5(2), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryptography5020012 - 02 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3498

Abstract

The progression of cyber-attacks on the cyber-physical system is analyzed by the Probabilistic, Learning Attacker, and Dynamic Defender (PLADD) model. Although our research does apply to all cyber-physical systems, we focus on power grid infrastructure. The PLADD model evaluates the effectiveness of moving target defense (MTD) techniques. We consider the power grid attack scenarios in the AND configurations and OR configurations. In addition, we consider, for the first time ever, power grid attack scenarios involving both AND configurations and OR configurations simultaneously. Cyber-security managers can use the strategy introduced in this manuscript to optimize their defense strategies. Specifically, our research provides insight into when to reset access controls (such as passwords, internet protocol addresses, and session keys), to minimize the probability of a successful attack. Our mathematical proof for the OR configuration of multiple PLADD games shows that it is best if all access controls are reset simultaneously. For the AND configuration, our mathematical proof shows that it is best (in terms of minimizing the attacker′s average probability of success) that the resets are equally spaced apart. We introduce a novel concept called hierarchical parallel PLADD system to cover additional attack scenarios that require combinations of AND and OR configurations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Hardware Security)

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Cryptography, Volume 5, Issue 2 (June 2021) – 4 articles

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