Active Shield Intrusion Detection via Capacitive Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated circuits are vulnerable to hardware intrusions such as probing and rerouting of conductive tracks, which existing shielding technologies struggle to detect effectively, especially when the intruder modifies the passivation layer or packaging.
Innovation Solution
An active shield system utilizing capacitively coupled conductive tracks, where a driver generates test pulses on one track to detect glitches on an adjacent track, comparing the number of detected glitches with expected pulses to identify potential intrusions, including probing, rerouting, or modifications to the shield or passivation layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passive shielding is used to protect integrated circuits from hardware attacks, then the circuit is covered by conductive lines, but intrusions such as probing and rerouting are difficult to detect effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical/physical shielding with an active electrical detection system. Instead of relying solely on physical coverage, the invention uses capacitive coupling between conductive tracks to create an active sensing mechanism that can detect intrusions through electrical signal changes, thereby improving detection capability while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection mechanism using capacitive coupling between adjacent conductive tracks. The coupling acts as a mediator that transmits intrusion effects from one track to another, enabling indirect detection of probing or rerouting attempts without direct contact with the protected circuit elements.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If existing active shielding techniques are used to detect intrusions, then digital techniques verify conductive track routing, but intrusions involving passivation layer modification are not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal detection system based on capacitive coupling that can detect multiple types of intrusions simultaneously. The same coupling mechanism responds to both conductive track rerouting and passivation layer modifications, making the shield versatile against various hardware attack methods without requiring separate detection mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If conductive tracks are placed close together for capacitive coupling, then detection sensitivity increases, but the shield becomes more vulnerable to routing modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protective function across multiple adjacent conductive tracks that work together through capacitive coupling. Each track contributes to the overall detection capability, and the distributed nature of the coupling means that modifying a single routing has limited impact, as other segments continue to provide detection coverage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The active shield effectively detects hardware attacks by identifying changes in capacitive coupling, providing a robust mechanism to prevent reverse-engineering and data extraction, even when attackers use focused ion beam technology to modify the circuitry.
Implementation Method 1
at least a part of the second conductive track lies adjacent to a part of the first conductive track at a given spacing and over a given length of the two conductive tracks, the given spacing and the given length being such that a rising or falling edge of a pulse generated on the second conductive track causes a glitch to appear on the first conductive track due to a resulting mutual capacitance between the first and second conductive tracks
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a device for detecting an attack on an integrated circuit. Attacks which are detectable using an active shield as described herein include physical and electrical contacting using a probe and modification of interconnect routing, including modification through the use of focused ion beam technology.