TII's Secure Systems Research Center (SSRC) is partnering with Imperial College London on a three-year research project focused on trustworthy cloud computing with hardware security. The project aims to design a new trustworthy cloud OS stack leveraging hardware mechanisms like ARM TrustZone. It will explore userspace isolation abstraction while maintaining compatibility with POSIX standards using ARM and RISC-V architectures. Why it matters: This collaboration addresses critical cloud security challenges by integrating hardware-based security solutions, potentially unifying cloud and edge security approaches in the region.
Suresh Sugumar from TII's Secure Systems Research Center (SSRC) has completed a year as Chair of the RISC-V Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Special Interest Group (SIG). The RISC-V TCG SIG is focused on defining trusted computing strategies for RISC-V, including confidential computing and trusted execution environments. SSRC's contribution to the SIG team supports zero-trust security and aims to boost the UAE's economic development. Why it matters: This leadership role for a UAE-based researcher highlights the country's growing influence in shaping open-source hardware security standards and contributing to global technological advancements.
A team from the Cryptography Research Center (CRC) secured 6th place out of 210 teams in the 'Donjon CTF 2021: Capture the Fortress' cybersecurity competition. The competition featured jeopardy-style challenges covering cryptography, reverse engineering, and hardware security. The CRC team participated to improve visibility and assess team capabilities, particularly in hardware security. Why it matters: The CRC team's strong performance highlights the growing cybersecurity expertise in the UAE and its attractiveness for talent in this field.
Cristofaro Mune and Niek Timmers presented a seminar on bypassing unbreakable crypto using fault injection on Espressif ESP32 chips. The presentation detailed how the hardware-based Encrypted Secure Boot implementation of the ESP32 SoC was bypassed using a single EM glitch, without knowing the decryption key. This attack exploited multiple hardware vulnerabilities, enabling arbitrary code execution and extraction of plain-text data from external flash. Why it matters: The research highlights critical security vulnerabilities in embedded systems and the potential for fault injection attacks to bypass secure boot mechanisms, necessitating stronger hardware-level security measures.
KAUST researchers have designed an integrated circuit logic lock to protect electronic devices from cyberattacks. The protective logic locks are based on spintronics and can be incorporated into electronic chips. The lock uses a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) where the keys are stored in tamper-proof memory, ensuring hardware security. Why it matters: This hardware-based security feature could significantly increase confidence in globalized integrated circuit manufacturing, protecting against counterfeiting and malicious modifications.
NYU Abu Dhabi hosted a talk by Prof. Debdeep Mukhopadhyay on the intersection of machine learning and hardware security. The talk covered using ML/DL for side-channel attacks, leakage assessment in crypto-devices, and threats to hardware security primitives. Prof. Mukhopadhyay is a visiting professor at NYU Abu Dhabi and Institute Chair Professor at IIT Kharagpur. Why it matters: The talk highlights the growing importance of hardware security in modern systems and the role of machine learning in both attacking and defending hardware vulnerabilities.