TVBEurope talks cryptography and Rambus

Cryptography Research, the security division of Rambus, presented a series of content protection technology demonstrations at IBC 2014, including CryptoFirewall™ core technology and Differential Power Analysis (DPA) countermeasure solutions.

As we’ve previous discussed on Rambus Press, CryptoFirewall technology is an advanced hardware security core that provides a robust foundation for securely delivering any content to pay TV devices, while DPA countermeasures are used to protect electronic devices from non-invasive side channel attacks.

In addition to demoing the above-mentioned technology, Rambus Chief Scientist Paul Kocher showcased an original Enigma (one of the world’s earliest cryptographic machines), at the international conference.

According to Kocher, the Enigma serves as a salient reminder that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. To be sure, the Enigma cipher was initially deemed unbreakable, yet it was ultimately cracked by a combination of Polish, French and British efforts.

Credit: TVBEurope

“The rich history of both the successes and failure of these historical security systems are certainly analogues to the failures of current security systems,” Kocher told TVBEurope.

The Rambus Chief Scientist also noted that the presence of the Enigma machine at the company’s booth is a tangible reminder of how cryptography was once implemented.

“The things we do security-wise are hidden nowadays. The mathematics have changed dramatically of course but this is more relatable, in a way,” he said.

Indeed, as Kocher told Rambus Press in August 2014, cryptographers need to constantly question themselves and avoid being lulled into a false state of complacency.

“Attackers have the luxury of being successful if the methods they try fail 99% of the time and succeed 1%,” he added. “In contrast, for system designers, failing even 1% of the time is unacceptable. We need to secure systems 100% of the time, and a 1% failure rate isn’t good enough, so we’re constantly asking ourselves what we might be missing.”