Electromagnetic Information Security Threats to Hardware and Their Countermeasures

Abstract

With the rising importance of information security, the necessity of implementing better security measures in physical as well as upper layers is becoming increasingly apparent. Given the development of high-accuracy, low-cost measurement devices, high-performance computers, and large storage devices, the threat of advanced attacks at the physical level has expanded from the military and government sectors to the commercial sector. In this paper, we introduce the problem of information security degradation through electromagnetic (EM)-based compromising of security measures in the physical layer (i.e., EM information security). Owing to the invisibility of EM radiation, such attacks can lead to serious threats. Moreover, we explain the mechanisms of EM information leakage and introduce countermeasures that make it difficult for information to leak. In particular, this study is focused on the countermeasures applicable to conventional information devices that do not depend on upper-layer protocols and applications.