Master-Slave Data Encryption via Address-Data Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data transfer methods via memory or peripheral registers are vulnerable to fault attacks, which can compromise security by allowing incorrect memory locations to be accessed, and existing countermeasures like redundant address signals increase production and operation costs.
Innovation Solution
A method that applies a reversible function, such as XOR, to combine data with a master-encoded address, creating a data-address-combination, and sends this combination along with the address from the master to the slave, ensuring implicit data protection without additional overhead on the interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant address signals are added to detect fault attacks, then security is improved, but production costs and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the address data and integrity check data into a single data structure called data-address-combination. This merging eliminates the need for separate redundant address signals while maintaining security, as the integrity verification is embedded within the combined data structure that is already present on the interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The data-address-combination serves multiple functions simultaneously: it carries the address information, provides integrity verification through the embedded check data, and enables fault attack detection. This multi-functionality replaces what would traditionally require separate dedicated signals for each purpose, reducing interface overhead.
2Reliability
If redundant address signals are added to detect fault attacks, then security is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging integrity verification into the existing data-address-combination structure, the patent eliminates the need for additional power-consuming redundant address signals. The same data structure that carries address information also provides verification, so no extra power is needed for separate verification signals.
3Reliability
If address manipulation is prevented through redundant signals, then integrity protection is improved, but interface overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The data-address-combination is designed to serve multiple purposes: it transports address information to the slave device and simultaneously provides integrity verification to prevent address manipulation. This universal structure eliminates the need for separate verification signals, maintaining integrity protection without increasing interface overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of sending data is provided. The method may include, executed in a master, applying a first code to an address of an addressed data sink of a slave, thereby forming a master-encoded address, combining the data with the master-encoded address using a reversible function, thereby forming a data-address-combination, and sending the data-address-combination and the address from the master to the slave.