Senior students at Swinburne University of Technology’s Information Security Research (iSECURES) Lab use Altium product development software to investigate the future path of Malaysia’s high-tech smart card.
“Altium Designer is a powerful tool for research. When combined with the NanoBoard it allowed us to transfer a theory-based problem into a practical, real-world design ready for testing”
- Raphael C.-W. PHAN, Director of the Information Security Research (iSECURES) Lab, Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus)
Swinburne University of Technology has set up an Information Security Research (iSECURES) Lab at its Sarawak campus in Malaysia to spearhead research into current information security techniques, and in particular the security analysis of Malaysia’s multi-purpose smart card, MyKAD. Deployed in 1999 as a replacement for Malaysia’s national identification card, drivers license and passport information, the success of MyKAD has led to interest within the private sector. A prime area of focus for Swinburne’s iSECURES research lab is the implementation of necessary public key infrastructure (PKI) facilities for secure transactions with MyKAD.
Key challenges
PKI-equipped MyKAD cards implement the approved Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptology algorithm, a symmetric block cipher used to encrypt and decrypt electronic data. Using encryption keys of up to 256 bits the AES algorithm can be implemented in software, as in the current microprocessor-based MyKAD cards, or as embedded hardware in an FPGA. The latter approach has a number of advantages including higher flexibility and power in implementing diverse security techniques and architectures, making this approach the likely basis for future generations of ubiquitous card devices.
With this in mind, Swinburne’s iSECURES lab has investigated the security resistance of the AES algorithm when implemented in an FPGA. One project undertaken by final-year Bachelor of Engineering in Computer System Electronics students was to investigate susceptibility to indirect ‘side channel’ attacks such as timing, power and fault analysis. This involved a full analysis of the FPGA-based AES algorithm, the implementation of AES on an FPGA, and analysis of side-channel attacks on the system. In turn, the students needed to embrace FPGA design concepts, VHDL design (the hardware form of the AES algorithm) and above all, the translation of theoretical principles to a physical design.
Meeting the challenges
To keep Swinburne University at the forefront of new developments in electronics design, the iSECURES lab has recently invested in Altium Designer software and the NanoBoard™ – Altium’s FPGA-based nano-level breadboard equipped with plug-in FPGA daughter boards. Altium Designer makes it possible for engineering students to quickly and interactively explore and implement complex designs – Altium’s LiveDesign™ methodology – then download the design directly to the target FPGA on the NanoBoard for immediate implementation and testing. Using this system the students were able to implement and debug the AES algorithm, perform comprehensive side-channel attack analysis then modify the design accordingly – all in real time.
The results
Through the Information Security Research project at Swinburne’s iSECURES lab, the engineering students have gained a comprehensive understanding of the security implications and benefits of cryptographic systems based on an FPGA platform. The students used Altium’s product development system to efficiently translate a complex theoretical problem into a hands-on testing environment, and gained a comprehensive knowledge of current security techniques and associated hardware platforms. An FPGA implementation of the AES algorithm appears to be a viable option for the next-generation smart card.
About the university
Swinburne University of Technology’s (SUT) Sarawak Campus in Malaysia is a branch campus of Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. It operates in partnership with the Sarawak Foundation and Sarawak State Government and is part of a long-term strategy by SUT Australia to globalise its operations and provide all Swinburne students worldwide with international living, working and learning opportunities.
Swinburne University is committed to the flexible provision of education and training, and recognizes the differences between students in their experience, aptitudes and learning styles, and in their circumstances and learning preferences. Its key strategic orientation is towards a learner-centred approach with increasingly flexible learning options.
SUT invested in Altium Designer software to provide students with a comprehensive, vendor-independent system for designing embedded systems on an FPGA platform to ensure that students are equipped to keep up with future demands of the electronics industry. Combined with Altium's NanoBoard, an FPGA-based nano-level development board, the students are able to experience a complete and interactive FPGA-based electronic product development system on their desktops.
For more information about the Swinburne University of Technology or the iSECURES lab, visit www.swinburne.edu.my