Module 4: Side-Channel Attacks and

Countermeasures
SECTION A – Very Short Answer Questions
(2 Marks)
CO Mapping: CO4 (PCC-CS404.4)
Module: 4
Textbook: Hardware Security: Design, Threats and Safeguards – Debdeep Mukhopadhyay &
Rajat Subhra Chakraborty
Relevant Chapters: Chapter 7 (Introduction to Side Channel Analysis), Chapter 8 (Differential
Fault Analysis), Chapter 10 (Power Analysis of Cipher Implementations)

Q.N Question Mar Bloom Difficu CO Reference Book Expected

o. ks Level lty Mappi Topic Chapt Keywords
ng er
1 What is a 2 Remem Easy CO4 Side Ch.7.2 Information
side channel ber Channels leakage,
in hardware physical
security? channel
2 Define side- 2 Remem Easy CO4 Side- Ch.7 Physical
channel ber Channel observation
attack. Attacks s, secret
extraction
3 Mention any 2 Remem Easy CO4 Types of Ch.7.2. Power,
two types of ber Side 2 timing,
side-channel Channels electromagn
attacks. etic, fault
4 How does 2 Underst Moder CO4 Side- Ch.7.2. Physical
side-channel and ate Channel 1 leakage,
analysis Analysis algorithmic
differ from attack
conventional
cryptanalysi
s?
5 What is 2 Remem Easy CO4 SPA Ch.7.4. Power trace
Simple ber 1 observation
Power
Analysis
(SPA)?
6 What 2 Underst Easy CO4 SPA Ch.7.4. Secret key,
information and 1 operation
 can be patterns
extracted
using SPA?
7 What is 2 Remem Easy CO4 DPA Ch.7.4. Statistical
Differential ber 3 power
Power analysis
Analysis
(DPA)?
8 Why is DPA 2 Underst Moder CO4 DPA Ch.7.4. Statistical
more and ate 3 techniques,
powerful noise
than SPA? reduction
9 Define 2 Remem Easy CO4 Power Ch.10. Power
power trace ber Analysis 1 consumptio
in the n
context of measureme
side-channel nts
attacks.
10 What is a 2 Remem Moder CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Power
leakage ber ate Models 2 prediction
model? model
11 Name any 2 Remem Moder CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Hamming
two ber ate Models 2 Weight,
commonly Hamming
used leakage Distance
models.
12 What is the 2 Remem Moder CO4 Hamming Ch.10. Number of
Hamming ber ate Weight 2.1 1s
Weight Model
leakage
model?
13 What is the 2 Remem Moder CO4 Hamming Ch.10. Bit
Hamming ber ate Distance 2.2 transitions
Distance Model
leakage
model?
14 What is an 2 Remem Easy CO4 Electromagn Modul EM
Electromagn ber etic Attacks e emissions,
etic Attack Topic information
(EMA)? leakage
15 What is the 2 Underst Easy CO4 EMA Modul Electromag
source of and e netic
information Topic radiation
leakage in
EMA?
16 Define fault 2 Remem Easy CO4 Fault Ch.7.5 Intentional
 injection ber Injection faults
attack.
17 What is the 2 Underst Easy CO4 Fault Ch.7.5, Secret
objective of and Attacks Ch.8 extraction,
a fault malfunction
injection
attack?
18 What is 2 Remem Moder CO4 DFA Ch.8.1 Fault-based
Differential ber ate cryptanalysi
Fault s
Analysis
(DFA)?
19 Mention one 2 Remem Easy CO4 Fault Ch.8 Voltage
method used ber Injection glitch, clock
to inject Techniques glitch, laser
faults into a
hardware
device.
20 What is 2 Remem Moder CO4 Masking Ch.10. Randomizat
masking as a ber ate 8 ion
side-channel technique
countermeas
ure?
21 What is 2 Remem Easy CO4 Shielding Modul Physical
shielding in ber e protection
hardware Topic layer
security?
22 What is 2 Remem Moder CO4 Power Modul Constant
power ber ate Balancing e power
balancing? Topic consumptio
n
23 Why is 2 Underst Moder CO4 Masking Ch.10. Randomize
masking and ate 8 d
effective intermediat
against e values
power
analysis
attacks?
24 State one 2 Analyze Moder CO4 Countermea Ch.10. Area
limitation of ate sures 8 overhead,
side-channel performanc
countermeas e cost
ures.
25 Why must 2 Analyze Moder CO4 Secure Ch.7, Information
side-channel ate Hardware Ch.10 leakage,
resistance be Design security
 considered assurance
during
cryptographi
c hardware
design?

Module 4: Side-Channel Attacks and

Countermeasures
SECTION B – Short Answer Questions (5
Marks)
CO Mapping: CO4 (PCC-CS404.4)
Module: 4
Textbook: Hardware Security: Design, Threats and Safeguards – Debdeep Mukhopadhyay &
Rajat Subhra Chakraborty
Relevant Chapters: Chapter 7 (Introduction to Side Channel Analysis), Chapter 8 (Differential
Fault Analysis), Chapter 10 (Power Analysis of Cipher Implementations)

Q.N Question Mar Bloom Difficu CO Reference Book Expected

o. ks Level lty Mappi Topic Chapte Keywords
ng r
1 Explain the 5 Underst Easy CO4 Side- Ch.7 Physical
concept of and Channel leakage,
side-channel Attacks implementa
attacks and tion attacks
discuss why
they pose a
serious
threat to
cryptographi
c hardware.
2 Differentiate 5 Analyze Easy CO4 Side- Ch.7.2. Algorithm
between Channel 1 attacks,
conventional Analysis physical
cryptanalysi attacks
s and side-
channel
analysis.
3 Discuss 5 Underst Moder CO4 Types of Ch.7.2. Power,
various and ate Side 2 timing,
 types of side Channels EM, fault
channels
that can leak
secret
information
from
cryptographi
c devices.
4 Explain the 5 Underst Easy CO4 SPA Ch.7.4. Power
working and 1 traces,
principle of operation
Simple identificati
Power on
Analysis
(SPA).
5 Discuss the 5 Analyze Moder CO4 SPA Ch.7.4. Trace
advantages ate 1 interpretati
and on, noise
limitations sensitivity
of SPA
attacks.
6 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 DPA Ch.7.4. Statistical
principle of and ate 3 analysis,
Differential correlation
Power
Analysis
(DPA).
7 Compare 5 Analyze Moder CO4 SPA vs Ch.7.4 Direct
SPA and ate DPA observation
DPA with , statistical
respect to attack
methodolog
y,
complexity,
and
effectivenes
s.
8 Describe the 5 Apply Moder CO4 Power Ch.10. Measureme
process of ate Analysis 1 nt setup,
collecting traces
and
analyzing
power traces
during a
side-channel
attack.
9 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Power
concept of and ate Models 2 prediction
leakage
models in
power
analysis
attacks.
10 Discuss the 5 Analyze Moder CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Bit count,
Hamming ate Models 2.1, bit
Weight and 10.2.2 transitions
Hamming
Distance
leakage
models.
11 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 Electromagn Module EM
principle of and ate etic Attacks Topic emissions,
Electromagn signal
etic Analysis leakage
(EMA)
attacks.
12 Compare 5 Analyze Moder CO4 SPA, DPA, Ch.7, Measureme
power ate EMA Ch.10 nt methods,
analysis leakage
attacks and source
electromagn
etic attacks.
13 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 Fault Ch.7.5 Induced
concept of and ate Injection faults, key
fault extraction
injection
attacks and
their
objectives.
14 Discuss 5 Underst Moder CO4 Fault Ch.8 Voltage
common and ate Injection glitch,
fault Methods clock
injection glitch, laser
techniques
used against
cryptographi
c hardware.
15 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 DFA Ch.8.1 Faulty
principle of and ate outputs,
Differential key
Fault recovery
Analysis
 (DFA).
16 Describe the 5 Analyze Moder CO4 Fault Ch.8 Security
impact of ate Attacks compromis
fault attacks e, key
on leakage
cryptographi
c
implementat
ions.
17 Explain the 5 Underst Moder CO4 Masking Ch.10. Randomiza
concept of and ate 8 tion,
masking as a intermediat
countermeas e values
ure against
side-channel
attacks.
18 Discuss the 5 Underst Easy CO4 Shielding Module Physical
role of and Topic protection,
shielding in EM
protecting leakage
hardware reduction
against side-
channel
attacks.
19 Explain how 5 Apply Moder CO4 Power Module Constant
power ate Balancing Topic power
balancing profile
helps
mitigate
power
analysis
attacks.
20 Compare 5 Evaluat Hard CO4 Countermea Ch.10. Effectivene
masking, e sures 8 ss,
shielding, overhead,
and power implementa
balancing as tion
countermeas
ures against
side-channel
attacks.
Module 4: Side-Channel Attacks and
Countermeasures
SECTION C – Descriptive Questions (10
Marks)
CO Mapping: CO4 (PCC-CS404.4)
Module: 4
Textbook: Hardware Security: Design, Threats and Safeguards – Debdeep Mukhopadhyay &
Rajat Subhra Chakraborty
Relevant Chapters: Chapter 7 (Introduction to Side Channel Analysis), Chapter 8 (Differential
Fault Analysis of Ciphers), Chapter 10 (Power Analysis of Cipher Implementations)

Q.N Question Mar Bloom Difficu CO Reference Book Expected

o. ks Level lty Mappi Topic Chapt Keywords
ng er
1 Explain the 10 Underst Modera CO4 Side Ch.7.2 Timing,
concept of and te Channels power, EM,
side- fault,
channel leakage
attacks.
Discuss the
different
types of
side
channels
that can
leak
information
from
cryptograph
ic hardware.
2 Discuss the 10 Analyze Modera CO4 Side- Ch.7.2 Physical
differences te Channel .1 leakage,
between Analysis implementa
conventiona tion
l security
cryptanalysi
s and side-
channel
analysis.
Explain
 why side-
channel
attacks are
effective
against
secure
cryptograph
ic
algorithms.
3 Explain the 10 Underst Modera CO4 SPA Ch.7.4 Power
working and te .1 traces,
principle of operation
Simple patterns
Power
Analysis
(SPA).
Discuss
how power
traces can
reveal
cryptograph
ic
operations
and secret
information.
4 Describe the 10 Analyze Hard CO4 DPA Ch.7.4 Statistical
methodolog .3, analysis,
y of Ch.10. key
Differential 3 recovery
Power
Analysis
(DPA).
Explain
how
statistical
techniques
are used to
recover
secret keys.
5 Compare 10 Analyze Modera CO4 SPA vs DPA Ch.7.4 Direct
SPA and te observation
DPA in , statistical
terms of methods
attack
methodolog
y,
 effectivenes
s,
complexity,
and
practical
applicability
.
6 Explain the 10 Underst Modera CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Power
concept of and te Models 2 prediction,
power bit
leakage transitions
models.
Discuss the
Hamming
Weight and
Hamming
Distance
models used
in power
analysis
attacks.
7 Describe the 10 Underst Modera CO4 Electromagn Modul EM
principles of and te etic Attacks e radiation,
Electromag Topic information
netic leakage
Analysis
(EMA)
attacks.
Discuss
how
electromagn
etic
emissions
can be
exploited to
extract
secret
information.
8 Explain the 10 Analyze Modera CO4 Fault Ch.7.5 Clock
concept of te Injection , Ch.8 glitch,
fault Attacks voltage
injection glitch, laser
attacks. fault
Discuss
various fault
injection
 techniques
and their
impact on
cryptograph
ic hardware.
9 Discuss the 10 Analyze Hard CO4 DFA Ch.8.1 Fault
principle of propagation
Differential , faulty
Fault outputs
Analysis
(DFA).
Explain
how
induced
faults can
be used to
recover
secret keys
from
cryptograph
ic devices.
10 Explain the 10 Analyze Hard CO4 Side- Ch.10. SNR, attack
importance Channel 6, effectivenes
of side- Metrics Ch.10. s
channel 7
attack
metrics.
Discuss
success rate,
guessing
entropy, and
signal-to-
noise ratio
in attack
evaluation.
11 Describe the 10 Apply Modera CO4 Masking Ch.10. Random
concept of te 8 masking,
masking as intermediat
a e values
countermea
sure against
side-
channel
attacks.
Explain
how
 masking
reduces
information
leakage.
12 Discuss 10 Analyze Hard CO4 Masking Ch.10. Security,
masking at Techniques 8 implementa
the tion
algorithmic overhead
level and
masking at
the gate
level.
Compare
their
advantages
and
limitations.
13 Explain the 10 Underst Modera CO4 Shielding Modul Physical
role of and te e barriers,
shielding in Topic EM
protecting protection
cryptograph
ic hardware
from side-
channel
attacks.
Discuss
different
shielding
approaches.
14 Discuss the 10 Apply Modera CO4 Power Modul Constant
concept of te Balancing e power
power Topic profile,
balancing as hiding
a
countermea
sure against
power
analysis
attacks.
Explain
how
constant
power
consumptio
n improves
 security.
15 Compare 10 Evaluate Hard CO4 Countermeas Ch.10. Trade-offs,
masking, ures 8 effectivenes
shielding, s, cost
and power
balancing
with respect
to security
effectivenes
s,
implementat
ion
complexity,
and
performanc
e overhead.

Module 4: Side-Channel Attacks and

Countermeasures
SECTION D – Analytical / Design-Oriented
Questions (15 Marks)
CO Mapping: CO4 (PCC-CS404.4)
Module: 4
Textbook: Hardware Security: Design, Threats and Safeguards – Debdeep Mukhopadhyay &
Rajat Subhra Chakraborty
Relevant Chapters: Chapter 7 (Introduction to Side Channel Analysis), Chapter 8 (Differential
Fault Analysis), Chapter 10 (Power Analysis of Cipher Implementations)

Q.N Question Mar Bloom Difficul CO Reference Book Expected

o. ks Level ty Mappi Topic Chapt Keywords
ng er
1 A 15 Create Hard CO4 Side-Channel Ch.7, Power
cryptographic Analysis Ch.10 traces,
FPGA leakage
implementati analysis,
on is attack
suspected to methodolo
leak secret gy
information
 through
power
consumption.
Design a
methodology
to perform a
complete
side-channel
analysis and
evaluate the
effectiveness
of the attack.
2 Compare 15 Evalua Hard CO4 SPA and Ch.7.4 Power
Simple te DPA traces,
Power statistical
Analysis analysis,
(SPA) and attack
Differential efficiency
Power
Analysis
(DPA) from
the
perspectives
of attack
complexity,
required
resources,
effectiveness,
and practical
applicability.
Recommend
the more
powerful
attack
technique
with
justification.
3 Design an 15 Create Hard CO4 DPA Ch.7.4. Measurem
experimental 3, ent setup,
setup for Ch.10 leakage
performing a model,
Differential correlation
Power
Analysis
attack on a
hardware
 AES
implementati
on. Explain
data
collection,
trace
processing,
leakage
modeling,
and key
recovery
stages.
4 Critically 15 Evalua Hard CO4 Leakage Ch.10. Power
analyze the te Models 2 prediction,
Hamming model
Weight and accuracy
Hamming
Distance
leakage
models.
Discuss their
effectiveness
in predicting
power
consumption
and
supporting
side-channel
attacks.
5 A secure 15 Analy Hard CO4 Electromagn Modul EM
embedded ze etic Attacks e leakage,
device is Topic shielding,
vulnerable to attack
electromagne setup
tic emissions.
Analyze how
an attacker
can exploit
Electromagne
tic Analysis
(EMA)
attacks and
propose
suitable
countermeasu
res.
6 Design a 15 Create Hard CO4 Fault Ch.7.5, Clock
fault Injection Ch.8 glitch,
injection Attacks voltage
attack glitch,
strategy DFA
against a
cryptographic
hardware
module.
Explain fault
generation,
fault
propagation,
fault
observation,
and key
recovery
phases.
7 Evaluate the 15 Evalua Hard CO4 DFA vs Ch.8, Fault
effectiveness te Power Ch.10 attacks,
of Analysis side-
Differential channel
Fault attacks
Analysis
(DFA) as a
cryptanalytic
technique.
Compare it
with power
analysis
attacks in
terms of
practicality,
complexity,
and success
rate.
8 Design a 15 Create Hard CO4 Masking Ch.10. Random
secure 8 masks,
cryptographic informatio
hardware n hiding
architecture
incorporating
masking
techniques.
Explain how
masking
 protects
intermediate
computations
and evaluate
its
implementati
on overhead.
9 Compare 15 Evalua Hard CO4 Countermeas Ch.10. Trade-
masking, te ures 8 offs,
shielding, security,
and power cost
balancing as
countermeasu
res against
side-channel
attacks.
Develop a
decision
framework
for selecting
an
appropriate
countermeasu
re in
resource-
constrained
systems.
10 A financial 15 Create Hard CO4 Integrated Ch.7, Layered
institution Countermeas Ch.8, security,
plans to ure Design Ch.10 masking,
deploy shielding,
hardware fault
security detection
modules for
critical
cryptographic
operations.
Propose a
comprehensi
ve defense
strategy
against SPA,
DPA, EMA,
and fault
injection
attacks,
justifying
each selected
countermeasu
re.