Combining high-level and low-level approaches to evaluate software implementations robustness against multiple fault injection attacks

Abstract

Physical fault injections break security functionalities of algorithms by targeting their implementations. Software techniques strengthen such implementations to enhance their robustness against fault attacks. Exhaustively testing physical fault injections is time consuming and requires complex platforms. Simulation solutions are developed for this specific purpose. We chose two independent tools presented in 2014, the Laser Attack Robustness (Lazart) and the Embedded Fault Simulator (EFS) in order to evaluate software implementations against multiple fault injection attacks. Lazart and the EFS share the common goal that consists in detecting vulnerabilities in the code. However, they operate with different techniques, fault models and abstraction levels. This paper aims at exhibiting specific advantages of both approaches and proposes a combining scheme that emphasizes their complementary nature.