Countermeasure to power attack and timing attack on cryptographic operations

An apparatus for use in cryptography, said apparatus comprising:

• a processor;
• an input to said processor to receive a transmission;
• cryptographic code which causes said processor to process said transmission;
• concealment code which causes said processor to perform unnecessary operations so as to disguise power usage and an amount of time used in processing said transmission;
• and
• wherein said unnecessary operations comprise an unnecessary multiplication producing a multiplication result that is discarded.

An apparatus comprising:

• an integrated circuit;
• an input of said integrated circuit for receiving an encoded transmission;
• a microprocessor coupled to said input;
• decryption code for decrypting said encoded transmission and suitable for use by said microprocessor;
• and
• concealment code for disguising power usage and time usage by said microprocessor in decrypting said encoded transmission;
• wherein said concealment code comprises code for implementing an unnecessary multiplication producing a multiplication result not used to decrypt said transmission so as to disguise said power usage and said time usage by said microprocessor in decrypting said encoded transmission.

A method of processing data, comprising:

• receiving an encrypted transmission;
• decrypting said encrypted transmission;
• and
• resisting a timing attack of said decrypting while resisting a power attack of said decrypting by implementing an unnecessary multiplication producing a multiplication result not used to decrypt said transmission so as to disguise power usage and time usage by a processor in decrypting said encrypted transmission.

A method of processing data comprising:

• receiving an encrypted transmission;
• using the processor to perform multiply operations;
• decrypting said transmission with said multiply operations;
• using the processor to perform unnecessary multiply operations producing multiplication results not used to decrypt said transmission;
• and
• disguising power usage required for said decrypting with said unnecessary multiply operations;
• disguising an amount of time required for said decrypting with said unnecessary multiply operations.

An apparatus comprising:

• a consumer electronics device;
• a circuit disposed within said consumer electronics device for processing of data;
• wherein said circuit is operable to disguise an amount of power usage required to process said data;
• wherein said circuit is operable to disguise an amount of time required to process said data;
• wherein said amount of power usage and said amount of time required to process said data are disguised by:
• performing additional mathematical processes, said additional mathematical processes producing mathematical results not used and being unnecessary for said processing;
• discarding said mathematical results.

A method of decrypting comprising:

• receiving an encrypted transmission;
• decrypting said transmission;
• disguising power usage required for decrypting said transmission;
• disguising an amount of time required for decrypting said transmission;
• wherein said decrypting said transmission comprises:
• performing a mathematical algorithm on said encrypted message;
• utilizing a decryption key as part of said mathematical algorithm;
• wherein said disguising power usage and said disguising said amount of time comprises:
• performing additional mathematical processes producing a mathematical result not used to decrypt said transmission and said additional mathematical processes being unnecessary for said decrypting;
• and
• performing an unnecessary store of data to memory;
• wherein said performing an unnecessary store of data to memory is determined by the value of a bit of said decryption key.

An apparatus for use in cryptography, said apparatus comprising:

• a consumer electronics device;
• a microprocessor disposed within said consumer electronics device;
• an input to said microprocessor to receive an encrypted transmission;
• decryption code to cause said microprocessor to decrypt said transmission;
• concealment code to cause said microprocessor to perform unnecessary operations producing results not used to decrypt said transmission so as to disguise power usage and an amount of time used in decrypting said transmission;
• and
• a decryption key having a binary representation, wherein said concealment code is operative to cause said microprocessor to perform an emulated function based on a value of a bit of said decryption key.