Faculty Advisor
Martin, William J
Faculty Advisor
Sunar, Berk
Sponsor
General Dynamics C4 Systems
Abstract
In this project we explore a technique known as dierential power analysis and its strength as an attack in the cryptanalyst's arsenal. We begin by looking into side-channel attacks and how they operate in regards to a cryptosystem. Further, we explore the usage of mathematical models known as the Hamming Weight and Hamming Distance which provide a correlation between a given cryptographic protocol and its power consumption. The Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128) are used as targets for the attack and are discussed in theory as well as how they are exploited using power characteristics. Finally, we share our attack and how it fairs when attempting to retrieve DES and AES-128 keys as well some insight as to how they can be improved.
Publisher
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date Accepted
April 2010
Major
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Major
Computer Science
Project Type
Major Qualifying Project
Copyright Statement
All authors have granted to WPI a nonexclusive royalty-free license to distribute copies of the work, subject to other agreements. Copyright is held by the author or authors, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.
Accessibility
Unrestricted
Advisor Department
Mathematical Sciences
Advisor Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering