Page 26 - Cyber Warnings

The challenges of hardware encryption

The hardware cryptography would, as we said, include some physical devices being based on a
digital technology. Those devices may cover up printed boards or any other micro-packaging
technologies. So commonly, in case of skillfully prepared hacker’s attacks – it’s possible to see
the external devices being connected to that computer or its network.

Many times the hackers
would try to disable those
gadgets, but – is that the
case with the encryption
equipment which may get
some sort of the access
control. In a practice, the
hardware-based encryption
would include some interface
software being capable to
communicate with the
cryptographic hardware.

It sounds like a challenge.
Well, basically – it is. Before
we explain how complex
could be to threaten the well-
protected encryption
hardware from the outside,
we would want to make a
brief overview on how digital
technologies work in a reality.

The majority of digital systems would use the logic gates and some electronic components
being applied for their operations. Those logic elements would include transistors, diodes,
resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits (ICs) and so on. So, all of them would be real
components being made from the real materials with their physical performances. We would not
go deeply into the analysis, but let’s say those elements – even being used for the terrorist
printed boards – would get their physical limitations.

For instance, they would get considered as a low-voltage circuits and in such a case – the
binary 0 would include a range between 0 and 2 V, while the binary 1 would deal with the
spectrum from 3 to 5 V. So, it’s clear that if we try to apply some electrical network’s voltage
being between 220 and 230 V in Europe or 110 V in the US – we would definitely cause such an
equipment damage.

26 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – September 2016 Edition
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