Machine-learning-based side-channel evaluation of elliptic-curve cryptographic FPGA processor

Security of embedded systems is the need of the hour. A mathematically secure algorithm runs on a cryptographic chip on these systems, but secret private data can be at risk due to side-channel leakage information. This research focuses on retrieving secret-key information, by performing machine-learning-based analysis on leaked power-consumption signals, from Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) implementation of the elliptic-curve algorithm captured from a Kintex-7 FPGA chip while the elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm is running on it. This paper formalizes the methodology for preparing an input dataset for further analysis using machine-learning-based techniques to classify the secret-key bits. Research results reveal how pre-processing filters improve the classification accuracy in certain cases, and show how various signal properties can provide accurate secret classification with a smaller feature dataset. The results further show the parameter tuning and the amount of time required for building the machine-learning models.