Affine Masking for Side-Channel-Resilient Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current encryption methods are not resilient to quantum computer-based attacks and side channel attacks, and existing countermeasures are either ineffective or computationally expensive.
Innovation Solution
Implement affine masking by generating multiple masks to decouple the relationship between measurable processor properties and secret keys, using methods such as matrix multiplication and addition, to strengthen asymmetric encryption schemes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If affine masking is implemented to strengthen encryption against side channel attacks, then security is improved, but computational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The masking process is divided into multiple independent steps: generating random masks, applying masks to key shares, and performing operations on masked values. This segmentation allows the security enhancement to be implemented through a series of manageable operations rather than a single complex computation, reducing the overall computational burden while maintaining security benefits
Solution Approach 2:
Random masks serve as intermediary elements that obscure the relationship between observable side channel data and the actual secret key. These masks act as a mediator between the encryption operations and potential attackers, introducing computational overhead but preventing direct correlation between measurements and key values
2Reliability
If multiple masks are generated and applied to decouple measurable properties from secret keys, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The masking mechanism is designed to work universally across different encryption operations and hardware platforms. The same mask generation and application procedures can be used for various cryptographic operations, making the solution adaptable without requiring platform-specific complex implementations
Solution Approach 2:
Masks are generated and prepared in advance before the actual encryption operations begin. This preliminary action allows the complex masking logic to be pre-computed and stored, reducing the computational complexity during the critical encryption phase and simplifying the overall implementation
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for strengthening encryption schemes to side channel attacks. The strengthening of the encryption schemes can involve affine masking of one or more elements of the encryption schemes.