Chiplets are gaining significant traction as they deliver numerous benefits beyond what can be accomplished with a monolithic SoC in a time of slowing transistor scaling. However, disaggregating SoCs into multiple chiplets increases the attack surface which adversaries can exploit to penetrate safeguards to data and hardware. With chiplets, the risks of hardware-based trojans and exploits such as man-in-the-middle attacks all rise. To realize the many benefits of chiplets, designers should use a design for security approach, and implement security safeguards anchored in hardware.
Papers
Secure Networking Basics: MACsec, IPsec, and SSL/TLS/DTLS
The MACsec, IPsec and SSL/TLS/DTLS protocols are the primary means of securing data in motion (communicated between connected devices). These protocols can be anchored in hardware or implemented in software as part of an end-to-end security architecture. This white paper provides fundamental information on each of these protocols including their interrelationships and use cases.
Hardware Security for AI Accelerators
Dedicated accelerator hardware for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms are increasingly prevalent in data centers and endpoint devices. These accelerators handle valuable data and models, and face a growing threat landscape putting AI/ML assets at risk. Using fundamental cryptographic security techniques performed by a hardware root of trust can safeguard these assets from attack.
Protecting Safety, Revenue and Brand: Combating Counterfeit Semiconductors in the Automotive Supply Chain
The counterfeit market for semiconductors is real, sizable and growing. Industry analysts peg the current market for fake semiconductors at $75B. Counterfeit chips pose great risk to driver comfort and safety, to say nothing of the severe negative consequences they present to automaker revenues and brand. The good news is there are immediate and cost-effective measures available to secure the semiconductor supply chain and stop counterfeiters in their tracks.
Combating Counterfeit Semiconductors in the Military Supply Chain
The counterfeit market for semiconductors is real, sizable and growing. The Senate Armed Services Committee found over 1,800 cases where counterfeit electronic components were introduced into U.S. military hardware including airplanes, helicopters and missiles. Counterfeit chips pose serious risk to military equipment and the service personnel who depend on that hardware to perform their mission.
Protecting Computing Systems in a Post-Meltdown/Spectre World
When Jann Horn of Google’s Project Zero posted a detailed blog titled “Reading privileged memory with a side-channel,” it set off a firestorm of activity as the post confirmed that secret information inside a computer could be accessed via two different attacks, Meltdown and Spectre. Essentially, both attacks utilize CPU data cache timing to efficiently exploit and leak information from the system. This could lead to – at worst – arbitrary virtual memory read vulnerabilities across local security boundaries in various contexts.