The Role of Cost in the Integration of Security Features in Integrated Circuits for Smart Cards

Nikolaos Athanasios Anagnostopoulos

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Abstract: This essay investigates the role of cost in the development and production of secure integrated circuits. Initially, I make a small introduction on hardware attacks on smart cards and some of the reasons behind them. Subsequently, I introduce the production phases of chips that are integrated to smart cards and try to identify the costs affecting each one of them. I proceed to identify how adding security features on such integrated circuits may affect the costs of their development and production. I then make a more thorough investigation on the costs of developing a hardware attack for such chips and try to estimate the potential damages and losses of such an attack. I also go on to examine potential ways of reducing the cost of production for secure chips, while identifying the difficulties in adopting them. This essay ends with the conclusion that adding security features to chips meant to be used for secure applications is well worth it, because the costs of developing attacks are of comparable amounts to the costs of developing and producing a chip and the potential damages and losses caused by such attacks can be way higher than these costs. Therefore, although the production and development of integrated circuits come at a certain cost and security introduces further additional costs, security is inherently unavoidable in such chips. Finally, I additionally identify that security is an evolving concept and does not aim to make a chip totally impenetrable, as this may be impossible, but to lower the potential risks, including that of being compromised, to acceptable levels. Thus, a balance needs be found between the level of security and the levels of cost and risk.

Date: 2021-01
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