TimeCache: Using Time to Eliminate Cache Side Channels when Sharing Software


"Abstract—Timing side channels have been used to extract cryptographic keys and sensitive documents even from trusted enclaves. Specifically, cache side channels created by reuse of shared code or data in the memory hierarchy have been exploited by several known attacks, e.g., evict+reload for recovering an RSA key and Spectre variants for leaking speculatively loaded data. In this paper, we ... » read more

Is There a Practical Test For Rowhammer Vulnerability?


Rowhammer is proving to be a difficult DRAM issue to fix. While efforts continue to mitigate or eliminate the effect, no solid solution has yet made it to volume production. In addition, more aggressive process nodes are expected to exacerbate the problem. In the absence of a fix, then, testing may be one way to give DRAM manufacturers and users some way to segregate devices that are more su... » read more

IC Security Threat Grows As More Devices Are Connected


Designing for security is beginning to gain traction across a wider swath of chips and systems as more of them are connected to the Internet and to each other, sometimes in safety- and mission-critical markets where the impact of a cyber attack can be devastating. But it's also becoming more difficult to design security into these systems. Unlike in the past, connectivity is now considered e... » read more

A Novel PUF Using Stochastic Short-Term Memory Time of Oxide-Based RRAM for Embedded Applications


Abstract: "RRAM suffers from poor retention with short-term memory time when using low compliance current for programing. However, the short-term memory time exhibits ideal randomness, which can be exploited as an entropy source for physically unclonable function (PUF). In this work, we demonstrated a novel PUF utilizing the stochastic short-term memory time of oxide-based RRAM. The proposed P... » read more

COVID-19 And Cybersecurity: Pay Attention To Exponential Growth!


COVID-19 and cybersecurity – you may wonder what these two seemingly very different topics have in common. I would list two: Both of them are exponential in nature, which, as a society we have difficulties grappling with – making this one of the reasons for our uneven responses. Both of them require a multi-layered solution strategy that, while it does not need to be perfect, must b... » read more

Security Provisioning Moves Out Of The Factory


Security credentials traditionally have been provisioned during chip manufacturing, often as a final part of the testing process. That's starting to change. Logistics management can be improved by pushing that process out — even as far as the on-boarding process. And simpler on-boarding can hide most of the details from the user. “The IT approach to provisioning IoT devices has primar... » read more

A Machine-Learning-Resistant 3D PUF with 8-layer Stacking Vertical RRAM and 0.014% Bit Error Rate Using In-Cell Stabilization Scheme for IoT Security Applications


Abstract: "In this work, we propose and demonstrate a multi-layer 3-dimensional (3D) vertical RRAM (VRRAM) PUF with in-cell stabilization scheme to improve both cost efficiency and reliability. An 8-layer VRRAM array was manufactured with excellent uniformity and good endurance of >10 7 . Apart from the variation in RRAM resistance, enhanced randomness is obtained thanks to the parasitic IR... » read more

Security In FPGAs And SoCs


Chip security is becoming a bigger problem across different markets, with different emerging standards and more sophisticated attacks. Jason Moore, senior director of engineering at Xilinx, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about current and future threats and what can be done about them. » read more

Certification And Collaboration Key To Closing IoT Security-Perception Gap


When it comes to security today, there’s perception and then there’s cold, hard reality. Here’s the reality: Cybersecurity Ventures expects global cybercrime costs to grow by 15% per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, which is triple the 2015 figure. To get a sense for how pervasive the problem is, Symantec set up a “honeypot” system that dete... » read more

DRAM’s Persistent Threat To Chip Security


A well-known DRAM vulnerability called "rowhammer," which allows an assailant to disrupt or take control of a system, continues to haunt the chip industry. Solutions have been tried, and new ones are being proposed, but the potential for a major attack persists. First discovered some five years ago, most of the efforts to eliminate the "rowhammer" threat have done little more than mitigate t... » read more

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