Side-Channel Monitoring with Deterministic Noise Masking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing side-channel monitoring systems cannot differentiate between authorized and unauthorized monitoring devices, as masking emissions cannot be distinguished from regular emissions, compromising device security.

Innovation Solution

Add deterministic noise to payload side-channel emissions, enabling authorized monitoring devices to filter out masking emissions and determine the operational state of the device while preventing unauthorized access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If masking emissions are added to side-channel emissions to prevent unauthorized monitoring, then device security is improved, but the ability to differentiate between authorized and unauthorized monitoring is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice securityVSAvoiddifferentiation between authorized and unauthorized monitoring

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The side-channel emissions are segmented into two distinct components: payload side-channel emissions (containing operational state information) and masking side-channel emissions (containing security masking data). This segmentation allows the system to separately handle monitoring and security functions, enabling authorized monitors to extract operational state while preventing unauthorized access to masked emissions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary filtering mechanism is introduced that authorized monitoring devices use to separate the payload emissions from the masking emissions. This intermediary filter, based on predetermined criteria, allows authorized monitors to extract operational information while blocking unauthorized devices from accessing the masking emissions, thus resolving the contradiction between security and monitorability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If side-channel monitoring is implemented to monitor device state, then operational awareness is improved, but unauthorized devices can extract sensitive information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational state detectionVSAvoidunauthorized information extraction

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Different quality characteristics are applied to different components of the emissions. The payload side-channel emissions maintain high measurement precision for operational state detection, while the masking side-channel emissions are designed with specific security properties (masking) that prevent unauthorized extraction. This local differentiation of quality allows simultaneous achievement of monitoring precision and security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The potential harm of side-channel emissions (information leakage to unauthorized devices) is converted into a benefit by introducing controlled masking emissions. These masking emissions, while adding complexity, enable the system to selectively disclose operational state information to authorized monitors while preventing unauthorized extraction, thus transforming the vulnerability into a security feature.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Reliability

If masking emissions are added to prevent unauthorized monitoring, then information security is improved, but the complexity of the emission system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidemission system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The masking emissions are merged with the payload side-channel emissions to form combined side-channel emissions. This merging approach allows the system to maintain security through masking while using a unified emission structure that simplifies the overall system architecture. The combined emissions can be processed by a single monitoring system that handles both security and operational monitoring functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20260030350A1Authorized side-channel monitoring

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

AI summary

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for an authorized device monitoring system that can monitor the side-channel emissions of a device to determine the operational state of the device, while the device also masks the emissions to prevent unauthorized monitoring by third party devices. To accomplish this, deterministic noise is added to the regular payload side-channel emissions to create a combined side-channel emission that is received at an authorized monitoring device. The authorized monitoring device can then filter out the side-channel emissions that correspond to the deterministic noise in order to determine the operational state of the device under monitoring. The authorized monitoring device can be trained to both identify the deterministic noise, and trained to correlate the payload side-channel emissions after the deterministic noise removal, with various operational states of the device under monitoring.