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Syllabus
The aim of this training is to understand physical attacks, in which an attacker leverages direct access to the chip running a cryptographic algorithm. These attacks involve observing physical phenomena — such as temperature variations, electromagnetic emissions, or power consumption — during the algorithm’s execution. In some cases, the attacker may also alter the normal execution through fault injection. These techniques, collectively known as physical attacks or side-channel attacks, pose a tangible threat, particularly in fields like embedded systems and smart cards.
The first day of the training is dedicated to exploring these attacks. Participants will be introduced to active methods such as fault injection, as well as passive techniques that capture physical leakages like electromagnetic emissions or power traces. Live demonstrations using educational hardware will showcase how straightforward and effective these attacks can be. The goal is to raise awareness of the real-world risks they represent, highlighting how feasible and widespread such attacks are across various scenarios.
The second day shifts to defensive strategies, with a particular focus on masking, a leading technique for mitigating side-channel vulnerabilities. We will briefly introduce the underlying theory before moving on to practical aspects of implementation and exploring the associated performance trade-offs. Other countermeasures will also be discussed to provide a broader overview of protections, particularly against active attacks.
All in all, the participants will be able to
- Get an overview of the state of the art on physical attacks.
- Locate basic physical weaknesses in a cryptographic implementation.
- Know the state of the art in algorithmic countermeasures.
- Assess the efficiency and penalty factor of an algorithmic countermeasure.
This training can follow the training on foundations of modern cryptography.
Language
The training is provided in French by default but it is possible to open sessions in English. Let us know if you are interested.
Duration and location
2 days in our office in Paris or directly on-site.
Pre-requisites
It is better to have a basic knowledge on cryptography. A basic familiarity with coding may be beneficial.
Price
2300 HT (lunch, coffee and snacks included)
Next sessions in CRX
Coming soon, depending on the demand, please contact us at training@cryptoexperts.com.