CRII: SaTC: Reliable Hardware Architectures Against Side-Channel Attacks for Post-Quantum Cryptographic Algorithms

The rapid developments in quantum computing threaten the security of traditional computer systems, because they use a form of encryption called public-key, that will no longer be secure if quantum computing advances. New approaches developed to avert this security problem are known as Post-quantum cryptography (PQC), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led a 2016 effort to standardize quantum-resistant public-key approaches. NIST has recently selected four algorithms for standardization and has chosen three other algorithms as potential candidates. However, these algorithms are not without vulnerabilities, and the majority are susceptible to both certain types of cyber attacks and environmentally induced faults. Such vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information and system failure. This project aims to perform a rigorous evaluation of the PQC algorithms and to design, simulate, and implement tailored countermeasures against these threats. This cutting-edge research will be incorporated into graduate-level courses. This project aims to advance the field of PQC by performing a detailed analysis of existing algorithms, identifying vulnerabilities to SCAs, and formulating countermeasures against such attacks and environmentally induced faults. Due to the complex nature of deriving such techniques, software simulations will need to be done to verify these mathematical derivations. Following rigorous software simulations, these countermeasures will be integrated into the original hardware architectures such as FGPA or ASIC to assess their real-world overheads, with a focus on compatibility with deeply constrained embedded systems prevalent in the military, governmental, and commercial sectors. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.