Design and Analysis of Side-Channel Feedback for Vulnerability Discovery

Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DRT-24-0541  

Direction

DRT

Thesis topic details

Category

Technological challenges

Thesis topics

Design and Analysis of Side-Channel Feedback for Vulnerability Discovery

Contract

Thèse

Job description

Fuzzing is a dynamic testing technique that enables vulnerabilities to be discovered very efficiently. Hundreds or even thousands of vulnerabilities are detected (and repaired) every year in the software we use. When we try to transpose the fuzzing approach to embedded systems, we are faced with a number of problems: the source code is not always available, very little information is available about the behaviour of the system at runtime and, finally, it is difficult to detect whether a bug has appeared. For several years now, the LTSO laboratory has been developing state-of-the-art techniques for analysing auxiliary channels, in particular the electromagnetic radiation produced by systems during operation. These measurements make it possible to infer information (data, executed code) about the behaviour of the system in a non-intrusive way. The aim of this thesis is therefore to determine whether these side-channel measurements can be used to improve the fuzzing process on embedded systems. The use of this new source of information also opens the door to the discovery of new classes of vulnerabilities, such as micro-architectural vulnerabilities.
The PhD will take place at CEA Grenoble, within the LETI institute, in a research team dedicated to the study and development of solutions for the security of present and future electronic systems (http://www.leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/Applied-Research/Facilities/cyber-security-platform.aspx).

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

University / doctoral school

Electronique, Electrotechnique, Automatique, Traitement du Signal (EEATS)
Université Grenoble Alpes

Thesis topic location

Site

Grenoble

Requester

Position start date

01/02/2024

Person to be contacted by the applicant

HISCOCK Thomas thomas.hiscock@cea.fr
CEA
DRT/DSYS/SSSEC/LSOSP
17 Avenue des Martyrs,
38000 Grenoble
04.38.78.94.02

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

HELY David david.hely@lcis.grenoble-inp.fr
INPG-ESISAR
INPG-ESISAR/LCIS
50, rue Barthélémy de Laffemas BP54
26902 VALENCE Cedex 09

04 75 75 94 73

En savoir plus

http://thomashk0.github.io/pages/about.html
http://www.leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/Applied-Research/Facilities/cyber-security-platform.aspx