Abstract. We propose to apply an information theoretic metric to the evaluation of side-channel resistant logic styles. Due to the long design and development time required for the physical evaluation of such hardware countermeasures, our analysis is based on simulations. Although they do not aim to replace the need of actual measurements, we show that simulations can be used as a meaningful first step in the validation chain of a cryptographic product. For illustration purposes, we apply our methodology to gate-level simulations of different logic styles and stress that it allows a significant improvement of the previously considered evaluation methods. In particular, our results allow putting forward the respective strengths and weaknesses of actual countermeasures and determining to which extent they can practically lead to secure implementations (with respect to a noise parameter), if adversaries were provided with simulation-based side-channel traces. Most importantly, the proposed methodology can be straightforwardly adapted to adversaries provided with any other kind of leakage traces (including physical ones).

Abstract-SEA is a scalable encryption algorithm targeted for small embedded applications. It was initially designed for software implementations in controllers, smart cards or processors. In this letter, we investigate its performances in recent FPGA devices. For this purpose, a loop architecture of the block cipher is presented. Beyond its low cost performances, a significant advantage of the proposed architecture is its full flexibility for any parameter of the scalable encryption algorithm, taking advantage of generic VHDL coding. The letter also carefully describes the implementation details allowing us to keep small area requirements. Finally, a comparative performance discussion of SEA with the Advanced Encryption Standard Rijndael and ICEBERG (a cipher purposed for efficient FPGA implementations) is proposed. It illustrates the interest of platform/context-oriented block cipher design and, as far as SEA is concerned, its low area requirements and reasonable efficiency.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract