ECDH Key-Extraction via Low-Bandwidth Electromagnetic Attacks on PCs

We present the first physical side-channel attack on elliptic curve cryptography running on a PC. The attack targets the ECDH public-key encryption algorithm, as implemented in the latest version of GnuPG’s Libgcrypt. By measuring the target’s electromagnetic emanations, the attack extracts the secret decryption key within seconds, from a target located in an adjacent room across a wall. The attack utilizes a single carefully chosen ciphertext, and tailored timefrequency signal analysis techniques, to achieve full key extraction.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2016
• Where: CTRSA
• Authors: Daniel Genkin, Lev Pachmanov, Itamar Pipman, Eran Tromer
• Keywords: Cryptology, CTRSA 2016