Integrated Sense-and-React Countermeasures Against Physical Attacks on Resource-Constrained Security Systems

An integrated sense-and-react countermeasure constitutes a promising hardware-security approach to mitigate malicious physical attacks targeting resource-constrained yet security-critical information systems. An integrated physical-attack sensor detects, in situ, the potential risk of information leakage, and upon detection, an integrated reaction circuit autonomously responds by immediately disabling the attack to protect secret information. To reduce hardware overhead, the sensor and reaction circuits are specifically tailored to the assumed attack surfaces, scenarios, and required security levels. This paper presents compact, low-power integrated sensors and reaction circuits designed to counter both passive side-channel and active fault-injection attacks, such as those exploiting power traces, electromagnetic radiation, and laser-induced faults. Silicon prototypes validate the proposed approach by demonstrating comprehensive attack detection and effective risk mitigation of information leakage, achieved with limited hardware cost, thereby enabling practical deployment in resource-constrained security systems.