Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2003/237

Low-Cost Solutions for Preventing Simple Side-Channel Analysis: Side-Channel Atomicity

Benoit Chevallier-Mames and Mathieu Ciet and Marc Joye

Abstract: This paper introduces simple methods to convert a cryptographic algorithm into an algorithm protected against simple side-channel attacks. Contrary to previously known solutions, the proposed techniques are not at the expense of the execution time. Moreover, they are generic and apply to virtually any algorithm.

In particular, we present several novel exponentiation algorithms, namely a protected square-and-multiply algorithm, its right-to-left counterpart, and several protected sliding-window algorithms. We also illustrate our methodology applied to point multiplication on elliptic curves. All these algorithms share the common feature that the complexity is globally unchanged compared to the corresponding unprotected implementations.

Category / Keywords: implementation / Cryptographic algorithms, side-channel analysis, protected implementations, atomicity, exponentiation, elliptic curves

Date: received 12 Nov 2003, last revised 12 Nov 2003

Contact author: marc joye at gemplus com

Available formats: Postscript (PS) | Compressed Postscript (PS.GZ) | PDF | BibTeX Citation

Version: 20031112:162251 (All versions of this report)

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