• "Unfortunately, the security issues of a technology near the end of its lifetime are typically overlooked.  The best known example is that of cryptographic keys and algorithms which may need to offer in some cases security for 50 to 100 years."

    SecurIST, “D3.3 – ICT Security & Dependability Research beyond 2010: Final Strategy”, January 2007
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  • In the next five years we will counter many 'hacker' attacks but we will not be safe from Nation States and other large entities

    Brian Snow, Former Technical Director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), "We need assurance!", 1999-2008

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  • “Consider the use of smart cards ... for especially critical functions.  Although more costly than software, when properly implemented the assurance gain is great.  The form-factor is not as important as the existence of an isolated processor and address space for assured operations – an ‘Island of Security,’ if you will.  Such devices can communicate with each other through secure protocols and provide a web of security connecting secure nodes located across a sea of insecurity in the global net.”

    Brian Snow, Former Technical Director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), "We need assurance!", 1999-2008

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article: Mod Chip Protection using VEST
Synaptic website articles - Technologies: Semiconductor protection

The mod chip is an electronic chip that is added to the PS2, Xbox, PlayStation or PS One game console. It allows you to play Import Games, CD-R/DVD-R Backups, Homebrew Software and Open Source applications. During the Boot sequence the console checks the Boot Information on the Cd. The mod chip injects the correct boot information. Our mod chips work in every Playstation, PS One, PS2 or Xbox console! The chipset includes Full Color Wiring Diagrams, Installation Guide, Wires and Solder! (2006)

Note: It is ironic that the IP on most of the mod-chip products on the above web site is protected against piracy. The mod-chips use one of the world's most secure chips, the ACTEL ProAsic, to help protect their IP and products from trivial FPGA bitstream cloning by pirates!

The simple and robust solution to protect against mod chip piracy is to correctly employ link-level privacy and integrity operations between selected chips in each game console.

Synaptic Labs' VEST-32 offers over 20 Gigabit/s performance authenticated stream cipher operation on 110ηm standard cell ASIC designs. Stream ciphers encryption operations are virtually latency free (a simple 2 input XOR delay). This results in a negligible decrease in system performance.

By conditionally securing the inter-chip communications during console start-up and selected sensitive operations, VEST's impact on the overall chips thermal and power consumption can be managed in a way that does not negatively impact game console performance.

Open-source projects and other fair-use technologies can be supported explicitly by design within the console while simultaneously ensuring revenue protection for official games that are used to subsidize the initial hardware platform purchase costs by consumers. This might be achieved by marketing general-purpose platform devices at a price that is not subsidized directly by games sales for power-user customers and organizations. For example, the same technologies used to protect revenue can also be used to create secure computing platforms, protecting the end-users private and sensitive information, further increasing the commercial market value of the platform in new markets.

Last Updated on Sunday, 04 January 2009 11:32