Forum Numerica - Alessandro PALUMBO: Hardware Trojans & Microarchitectural Side-Channel Attacks..

Alessandro Palumbo (Associate Researcher at IRISA Lab, Inria) - Hardware Trojans & Microarchitectural Side-Channel Attacks: Detection and Mitigation Via Hardware-Based Methodologies Hardware Trojans can be inserted into microprocessors, allowing attackers to run unauthorized code or escalate privileges. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that attackers could observe certain microprocessor features (seemingly unrelated to the program's execution) to exfiltrate secrets or private data. So, even devices produced in secure foundries could be vulnerable to such attacks. A promising defense strategy involves implementing Hardware Security Modules that monitor the runtime behavior of microprocessors to detect ongoing attacks. But why do we need Hardware Security Modules? Are software-based solutions not sufficient? Hardware Security Modules are essential because if attackers manage to execute malicious code, they could bypass or disable software defenses, leading to privilege escalation and other serious consequences. In contrast, hardware-based countermeasures raise the bar significantly, as modifying fabricated chips is far more difficult than compromising software, making Hardware Security Module implementations a more robust and resilient defense mechanism Forum Numerica is the seminar series of the Academy of Excellence "Networks, Information and Digital Society" from Université Côte d'Azur, dedicated to the digital sciences and their impact on the society and humans. Find out more at https://ds4h.univ-cotedazur.eu/forum-...