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Secure Processor Microarchitecture

Chester Rebeiro

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The Computing Stack

Transistors and Gates

Microarchitecture

Hypervisor

Operating System

Applications

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The good and the bad of hardware in security

Transistors and Gates

Microarchitecture

Hypervisor

Operating System

Applications

The Good

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A single bit can enhance security�of the entire system.

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Very difficult to bypass

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eg. Virtual memory, protection

rings

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The Bad

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New cybersecurity threats that

are very difficult to detect.

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eg. can break most crypto-algorithms�within a few minutes

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Range of applications on computer systems

threats differ solutions differ

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Syllabus

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Hardware based threats

Hardware based security measures

Embedded Devices

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  • Side-channel attacks
  • Fault injection attacks
  • Hardware based attacks
  • Secure boot / update
  • Physically unclonable functions
  • Trustzone / Keystone��(ARM / RISC V based solutions)

High-performance computing devices

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  • Micro-architectural attacks
  • Intel SGX
  • Memory encryption
  • Malware detection with hardware

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  • (Intel / AMD based solutions)

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Schedule

  • Introduction
  • Computer Security and Applied Cryptography
  • Threats on Embedded Devices
  • Threats on High-performance devices
  • Hardware based protection schemes for embedded devices
  • Hardware based protection schemes for high-performance devices

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Evaluation

  • Mid Sem Exam (30%)
  • End Sem Exam (30%)
  • Lab Assignments (40%)

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Logistics

  • Offline classes: will be in CRC301 and online streaming.�

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  • C Slot:
    • M: 10:00 to 10:50AM
    • Tu: 9:00 to 9:50AM
    • W: 8:00 to 8:50AM
    • Fri: 12:00 to 12:50PM (used of assignments)

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  • All communication will be through Microsoft Teams channels�
  • Exams and quizzes will be done offline�
  • Attendance as per Institute rules�

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QR Code for Microsoft Teams

Link