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Side-channel
Attack
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A side-channel attack (SCA) is a security exploit
that involves collecting information about what a computing device does when
it is performing cryptographic operations and using that information to
reverse engineer the device's cryptography system. In computing, a side
channel is any communication channel that is incidental to another
communication channel. Security researcher Paul Kocher is credited with
coining the term side-channel attack in the 1990s when he discovered it was
possible to reverse engineer security tokens by monitoring a computer's power
consumption and electromagnetic emissions.
Unlike
many other types of security exploits, side-channel attacks are hardware and
software agnostic. Instead of targeting a software vulnerability caused by a
coding error or configuration drift, the attacker exploits the way the
device's operating system (OS) accesses the hardware upon which the OS runs.
Side-channel attacks can be launched against any operating system, including
Windows and Linux.
Types
of Side-Channel Attacks
Side-channel
attacks work by monitoring the emissions produced by electronic circuits when
the victim's computer is being used. In addition to exploiting information
about power consumption and electromagnetic fields, an attacker may actually
listen to the sounds a central processing unit (CPU) produces and use that
information to reverse engineer what the computer is doing. This type of
side-channel attack is called an acoustic cryptanalysis attack. Other types
of side-channel attack include:
Cache attacks that exploit how and when
cache is accessed in a physical system.
Differential fault analysis attacks that
seek to glean information from a system by introducing faults into the
system's computations.
Timing attacks that track the movement of
data to and from a system's CPU and memory.
Thermal-imaging attacks that use infrared
images to observe the surface of a CPU chip and collect executed code.
Optical side-channel attacks that collect
information about hard disk activity by using an audio/visual recorder, such
as a video camera.
Van Eck phreaking is a form of
eavesdropping that involves monitoring the electromagnetic fields produced by
data as it moves through the computer.
How
to Prevent Side-Channel Attacks
To prevent
side-channel attacks, users have two choices: they must either reduce the
release of electromagnetic information that could be used to launch an attack
or they must make it impossible for an attacker to link information about
what the CPU is doing with specific compute operations. For example, a
computer engineer may want to change the order of operations used on data
within the system by using a process called randomization to make it more
difficult for an attacker to launch a side-channel attack.
Another
preventative technique an engineer may use is to increase the amount of noise
in a channel. An increase in noise means an attacker will have to collect
more measurements than is needed and not all the information will be
relevant. Faraday cages can also be used to reduce electromagnetic leaks.
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April is the official month for:
- From thebalancecareers.com
The following
events, industries, causes and emotions (yes, emotions) are observed all month
long in April unless otherwise indicated. Even cannabis (fast becoming
legalized), Florida tomatoes, celery, and soft pretzels are honored,
beginning April 1 through April 30—every year.
- African-American
Women's Fitness Month
- Alcohol
Awareness Month
- Amateur
Radio Month
- American
Cancer Society Month
- Asian/Pacific
American Heritage Month
- Black
Women's History Month
- Bowel
Cancer Awareness Month
- Celebrate
Diversity Month
- Community
Service Month
- Confederate
History Month
- Distracted
Driving Awareness Month
- Financial
Literacy Month
- Fresh
Florida Tomato Month
- Irritable
Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month
- Jewish-American
Heritage Month
- Keep
America Beautiful Month
- Lawn and
Garden Month
- Mathematics
Awareness Month
- Month of
the Military Child
- National
Autism Awareness Month
- National
Better Hearing and Speech Month
- National
Canine Fitness Month
- National
Cannabis Awareness Month
- National
Car Care Awareness Month
- National
Child Abuse Awareness Month
- National
Couple Appreciation Month
- National
Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15)
- National
Decorating Month
- National
Donate Life Awareness Month
- National
Fair Housing Month
- National
Food Month
- National
Fresh Celery Month
- National
Garden Month
- National
Humor Month
- National
Internship Awareness Month
- National
Inventor's Month
- National
Jazz Appreciation Month
- National
Landscape Architecture Month
- National
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (last full week in April)
- National
Mental Health Month
- National
Month of Hope
- National
Multiple Birth Awareness Month
- National
Occupational Therapy Month
- National
Older Americans Month
- National
Parkinson's Awareness Month
- National
Pecan Month
- National
Poetry Month
- National
Safe Digging Month
- National
Siblings Day (April 10)
- National
Soft Pretzel Month
- National
Soy Foods Month
- National
STDs Education and Awareness Month
- National
Straw Hat Month
- National
Volunteer Month
- National
Welding Month
- Occupational
Therapy Month
- Pets are
Wonderful Month
- Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals Month
-
-
- Records
and Information Management Month
- Scottish-American
Heritage Month
- Sexual
Assault Awareness Month
- Stress
Awareness Month
- Thai
Heritage Month
- Women's
Health Care Month
International and One-Day Observances
Because you may
be in the business of working with internationals, we can not forget the
participation of other countries. Here are a few international honorees, as
well as some causes that are observed globally:
- April is
International Guitar Month, recognized in several countries.
- Ontario,
Canada recognizes April as Sikh Heritage Month.
- April is
National Pet Month in the United Kingdom, although the U.S. waits until
May to honor its non-human family members.
- International
Pillow Fight Day is observed on April 6 in 2019.
- World
Autism Awareness Day also falls on April 2 in 2019.
- World Health
Day is April 7, in 2019.
