Static Data Protection via Dynamic LFSR Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated circuits with non-volatile storage face vulnerabilities to probe attacks that allow attackers to detect or modify static data, particularly since fuse and EEPROM elements are accessible and their states can be reversed, compromising security.
Innovation Solution
Converting static data into dynamic data flows using linear feedback shift registers, which represent different polynomials based on the data's value, and decoding these flows on the receiving end to protect against unauthorized access and modifications during transfer within the circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If static data is stored in non-volatile memory elements (fuse, EEPROM), then data persistence is achieved, but the data becomes visible to optical observation and accessible to probe attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts static data into dynamic data flows using linear feedback shift registers (LFSR). The data is no longer stored in a fixed, observable state but continuously transformed through polynomial representations, making it inaccessible to static probe attacks while maintaining persistence through the dynamic transformation process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces LFSR and polynomial transformations as intermediary layers between the stored data and its observable form. These intermediaries transform the raw static data into dynamic sequences, preventing direct observation while allowing authorized access through the inverse transformation process
2Object-affected harmful factors
If static data is converted to dynamic data flow using LFSR with different polynomials, then security against probe attacks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mathematical parameters of data representation by using different polynomials in the LFSR transformation. This parameter change enables the same hardware structure to produce different dynamic sequences from the same static data, enhancing security without requiring fundamentally different circuit architectures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different polynomials locally based on the value of static data bits. Each data bit or group of bits can be transformed using a specific polynomial, allowing selective transformation that optimizes security for different data portions while managing overall circuit complexity
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dynamic data flow is used instead of static data, then data becomes unintelligible to attackers, but data cannot be directly read by circuit elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary transformation of static data into dynamic flows using LFSR before the data is used by circuit elements. This preliminary action ensures data is protected from attacks while the receiving elements are pre-configured with the corresponding inverse transformation capability to access the original data when needed
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system for protecting a static digital datum contained in a first element of an electronic circuit, intended to be exploited by a second element of this circuit, in which: on the side of the first element, the static datum is converted into a dynamic data flow by at least one first linear shift feedback register representing a different polynomial according to the value of the static datum; the dynamic flow is transmitted to the second element; and on the side of the second element, the received dynamic flow is decoded by at least one second shift register representing at least one of the polynomials that has been used by the first element.