Block cipher side-channel attack mitigation for secure devices

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for side-channel attack mitigation for secure devices including cryptographic circuits using block ciphers that are not based upon feedback. For disclosed embodiments, an integrated circuit includes a cryptographic circuit and a controller. The cryptographic circuit performs cryptographic operations in a block cipher AES mode without feedback. The controller outputs control signals to the cryptographic circuit that cause the cryptographic circuit to perform the cryptographic operations on sequential data blocks with an internally permuted order to mitigate block cipher side-channel attacks. The internally permuted order can be generated using one or more random number generators, one or more pre-configured permutated orders, or other techniques. Further, sequential data blocks can be grouped into sequential subsets of data blocks, and the cryptographic operations can be performed in sequence for the subsets with data blocks within each subset being processed with an internally permuted order.