Cryptography – Cryptanalysis
Patent
1992-06-02
1994-10-04
Cangialosi, Salvatore
Cryptography
Cryptanalysis
380 52, H04L 900
Patent
active
053533500
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to the protection of information stored within electronic circuits, and in particular, to the protection of stored data from a hardware thief or hacker.
The protection will be achieved by the use of an electroactive Cradle circuit. A cradle is defined here as "a framework for support or protection" (refer Collins Australian Dictionary of the English Language, 1981).
BACKGROUND ART
With the development of extensive computerised memory and the need for confidentiality of data stored within that memory, there have been developed a number of methods of preventing the theft of that "secret" information. Traditionally, computer software has been protected by means of encryption and decryption programming. Also, encryption and decryption hardware elements have been incorporated into specific electronic packages to perform data protection under software control. With the development of suitable algorithms and keys contained in alterable memory, it has been possible to successfully protect data from an information thief or hacker who attempts to access that data by software means.
However, these known methods offer little security from a hardware hacker who obtains electronic information through physical access to such electronic circuitry. Electronic information or data compromise can occur by drilling through existing encapsulants of electronic circuitry so as to access data and/or address buses. These may be located by X-ray radiography and/or ultrasonic techniques. Alternatively, employment of thermal, solvent, acid, simple mechanical scraping or mechanical fracture methods can be used to expose the data and/or address buses associated with the alterable memory.
Such alterable memory can comprise EPROM, E.sup.2 PROM, RAM, DRAM and PROM. Some devices though having some protection, permit learning of the methodology so that a thief can steal one device and therefore know the next. However, the hardware hacker can obtain no information from a severed communication channel external to the device due to software methods such as encryption and authentication procedures. Once the information thief or hacker has gained the knowledge of the authentication procedures and the data codes necessary, one could make use of this information to advantage. These types of security problems are particularly relevant to financial institutions which use security systems to secure computerised transfer of funds, the value of which is several millions of dollars per hour. In the case of a financial institution, once an information thief or hacker has gained the authentication procedure and the necessary data codes, illicit funds transfer could occur and the transfer would appear as a legal and authorised transaction. As such, any security compromise could result in the financial institution incurring fraud losses, loss of integrity, recovery costs, adverse publicity and loss of commercial confidence.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,593,384; 4,691,350; 4,807,284 and 4,811,288 cover the area of securing stored data using a device that physically surrounds the circuit board being protected.
The security device in the 4 patents is comprised of:
1) a number of ceramic components that form a box that surrounds the circuit board. Ceramic is used because of its chemical resistance,
2) within the ceramic components are a number of conductive epoxy paths and sheets through which a hacker would penetrate if attempted penetration occurred,
3) in certain embodiments these conductive paths may also be connected via thin wires that pass through the circuit board,
4) in a further embodiment thin nickel/gold layers were deposited onto the inside face of the ceramic housing. These layers were then etched to form parallel gold conductive paths (10-25 .mu.m thick with same spacing).
5) by shorting or breaking the conductive paths or sheets, a sense circuit will generate a low voltage that sets the RESET on the memory to be protected, and
6) a low temperature sensor (an unbalanced circuit) will also generate a low voltage if the temperat
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Mapson Michael
Unsworth Joseph
Cangialosi Salvatore
University of Technology
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