A Brief Peek Into the Fascinating World of Side Channel Attacks
As engineers, we often need to think about issues of data privacy and security. Side channel attacks, once the preserve of spies and governments, are increasingly becoming possible for less well funded attackers. Devising ways to protect against these attacks whilst still having a useable device can be challenging, especially given the range of interesting ways that data security can be compromised.
It’s important to have an overview of the types of attacks possible, so that you can design with protection in mind. It’s not just sensitive data that can be compromised, but whole control systems could be at risk. Something to bear in mind when working with or designing projects that rely in any way on computers or digital devices like flow sensors or RF communications.
Most of you will already know that it’s virtually impossible to secure digital data from a really determined attacker. As computers enter more areas of our lives, the ways that our data can be accessed continue to grow. Improvements in technology are helpful to information security professionals and hackers alike, and attacks that would have been unlikely or impractical just a few years ago are increasingly accessible to those with the right skills and equipment.
