Symmetric discharge logic against differential power analysis

Abstract

Differential power analysis (DPA) is an effective technique that extracts secret keys from cryptographic systems through statistical analysis of the power traces obtained during encryption and decryption operations. This letter proposes symmetric discharge logic (SDL), a circuit-level countermeasure against DPA, which exhibits uniform power traces for every clock period by maintaining a set of discharge paths independent of input values. This feature minimizes differences in power traces and improves resistance to DPA attacks. HSPICE simulations for the test circuits using 0.18 mu m TSMC CMOS process parameters indicate that SDL reduces power differences by an order of magnitude, compared to the existing circuit-level technique.