Recent Publications
Here you can find BibTeX citations for all papers listed below.
Intra-Vehicle Information Security Framework
This paper presents an internal information security services framework for vehicular environments. The framework consists of a logical toolbox — a set of logical modules that are installed in a variety of embodiments (e.g., controllers) and which provide security functionality that vehicular applications require. The framework also includes several enablers, which are higher-level security functions that are integrated into vehicular applications. These enablers use the aforementioned tools to provide for many typical use-cases, such as secure logging, secure code update, and secure feature activation. This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. This paper was also published and presented in ESCAR 2009 (November, 2009) Download (PDF)
Challenges in Designing Content Protection Solutions
This paper presents some of the challenges that are encountered when developing content-protection products. The focus is on the implementation design part, rather than on general difficulties of content protection. The paper discusses some of the decision points and the difficulties that are encountered by one who tries to design and implement content protection products, with the main focus on security. Specifically, issues addressed are of robustness, of deciding on which scheme to support, and of the frequent need to extend the protected data-path, beyond what was intended by the scheme designer. This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. Download (PDF)
Challenges of Standardizing Renewable Broadcast Security
An important component of a secure broadcast scheme is a renewability mechanism. This mechanism enables the system to cope with successful attacks that are widely perceived to be inevitable. When standardizing a broadcast security scheme one needs to address not only the technical issues, such as secure delivery and update, but also the conceptual difficulty of overcoming the inherent unsuitability of standardization processes for providing timely response to attacks. This paper discusses some of the challenges of both types and suggests ways to overcome them.This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. Download (PDF)
On The Importance of Secure Coding
Secure coding (secure programming) is a field that is gaining a lot of attention. Flaws are constantly discovered in a wide range of known server applications. These flaws are not flaws emerging from an insecure high-level design of the applications but are flaws that were introduced at the source code level and that are a result of careless programming. Such flaws can be exploits of buffer overflows or the result of lacking input validation routines. In this document I will provide a brief definition of secure coding and of secure programs and will try to assess the reasons for the need to focus efforts on this aspect of information security. Download (PDF)
Security Implications of Hardware vs. Software Cryptographic Modules
Cryptographic modules can be implemented either by hardware or by software. Whereas software implementations are known for being easier to develop and to maintain, when it comes to cryptographic modules or security-related applications in general, software implementations are significantly less secure than their hardware equivalents. The reason for this is due mostly to the fact that software solutions make use of shared memory space, are running on top of an operating system and are more fluid in terms of ease of modification. This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. Download (PDF)
When To Use Biometrics
Biometric systems become common over the years. Their ease of use for the end user and their perceived security make them seem to be the best solution to any problem involving user authentication. Although biometric systems can provide fast and secure user authentication with minimal user intervention, they have several inherent limitations making them inappropriate for most environments where authentication is used. The focus of this paper is not the possible use-cases of biometry, but rather it is those limitations that are neither biometry-type specific nor implementation specific and that make biometric measures limited in their scope of possible uses. Download (PDF)
Introduction to Side-Channel Attacks
The purpose of this document is to introduce Side-Channel attacks, as well as to assist in the decision making of how to protect cryptographic modules against such attacks. The document is divided into two parts: The first part presents Side-Channel attacks and provides introductory information about such attacks. The second part presents known methods for protection against such attacks with a brief effectiveness assessment, if such is available. This document is mainly intended for people who are considering the use of cryptographic modules and who need to compare several options with respect to their security. This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. Download (PDF)
For a brief explanation of side channel attacks, click here.
Known Attacks Against Smartcards
This document analyzes, from a technical point of view, currently known attacks against smart card implementations. The purpose of this analysis is to give the necessary background for the assessment of the mechanisms that can enhance the security of smart cards. This document is mainly intended for people who are considering the use of cryptographic modules and who need to compare several options with respect to their security. This document was written for Discretix Technologies Ltd., who also holds the rights on it. Download (PDF)
For a brief explanation of side channel attacks, click here.
DRM on Open Platforms
DRM requires that data is blocked by the device. Inherently, completely open platforms cannot provide means for such data blockage. Bridging these two contradicting requirements can be done by means of a secure and isolated subsystem that is integrated with the operating system. This paper draws the lines for the implementation of such a system - a system that adopts the smallest possible subset of secure environment components to provide an environment that allows arbitrary applications to run side by side with a DRM application.
This document was written by Hagai Bar-El and Yoav Weiss. It was written for and presented at the IEE, which also holds its publication rights. Download (PDF)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice Guide to Fault Attacks
This paper covers the various methods that can be used to induce faults in semiconductors and exploit such errors maliciously. Several examples of attacks stemming from the exploiting of faults are explained. Finally a series of countermeasures to thwart these attacks are described.
By Hagai Bar-El, Hamid Choukri, David Naccache, Michael Tunstall, and Claire Whelan In Workshop on Fault Detection and Tolerance in Cryptography, Florence, Italy, June 30, 2004. Also published in the Proceedings of the IEEE, Volume 94, Number 2 (February 2006). Download (PDF)
For a brief explanation of side channel attacks, click here.