Side channel analysis of AVR XMEGA crypto engine

AVR XMEGA is the recent general-purpose 8-bit microcontroller from Atmel featuring symmetric crypto engines. We analyze the resistance of XMEGA crypto engines to side channel attacks. We reveal the relatively strong side channel leakage of the AES engine that enables full 128-bit AES secret key recovery in a matter of several minutes with a measurement setup cost about 1000 USD. 3000 power consumption traces are sufficient for the successful attack. Our analysis was performed without knowing the details of the crypto engine internals; quite the contrary, it reveals some details about the implementation. We sketch other feasible side channel attacks on XMEGA and suggest the countermeasures that can raise the complexity of the attacks but not fully prevent them. Categories and Subject Descriptors E.3 [Data Encryption]: Code Breaking; Standards (AES, DES); C.3 [Special-Purpose and Application-Based Systems]: Real-time and embedded systems General Terms Security, Algorithms, Measurement, ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: CASES
• Authors: Ilya Kizhvatov
• Keywords: CASES 2009, Channel Attacks, Crypto Engine, Symmetric Crypto Engines