Secure Hardware and Embedded Devices

Module overview

This course covers security and trust of hardware and embedded devices, with a particular focus on the emerging security challenges facing the internet of things technology. It includes the following topics: vulnerabilities in current digital system design flow, physical and invasive attacks, side-channel attacks, hardware Trojan detection, detection and prevention of counterfeit electronics, cryptographic primitives design such as physically unclonable functions, random number generators, principles of trusted computing, industry standards solutions for securing IoT devices such as ARM Platform Security Architecture.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The security threats facing hardware and computing devices
State of the art technologies in secure hardware and embedded devices

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Explain the IoT Security Challenges and Defense Mechanisms
Explain the Principles Of Trusted Computing
Integrate security as a design metric i.e. design secure-by-construction approach
Describe the vulnerabilities in current Digital System Design Flow

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Use industry standard tools to design secure systems

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught using a combination of lectures and labs. Laboratory sessions are scheduled in the labs on level 2 of the Zepler building Length of each session: 3 hours Number of sessions completed by each student: 6 Max number of students per session: unlimited Demonstrator:student ratio: 1:8 Preferred teaching weeks: 3 to 9

Study time
Type	Hours
Completion of assessment task	51
Follow-up work	12
Wider reading or practice	33
Lecture	24
Preparation for scheduled sessions	12
Practical classes and workshops	18
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Will Arthur & David Challener. A Practical Guide to TPM 2.0: Using the New Trusted Platform Module in the New Age of Security. ApressOpen.

Basel Halak. Physically Unclonable Functions: From Basic Design Principles to Advanced Hardware Security Applications. Springer.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Assessed Practicals	20%
Closed book Examination	80%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Examination	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Examination	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External