diff --git a/chapter-introduction/chapter.tex b/chapter-introduction/chapter.tex index f49a3f2..5684835 100644 --- a/chapter-introduction/chapter.tex +++ b/chapter-introduction/chapter.tex @@ -238,24 +238,24 @@ IHSMs are a new design approach that utilizes mechanical motion to create secure components. IHSMs solve the issue of creating an impenetrable tamper-sensing envelope by replacing the bespoke tamper-sensing mesh foil with a set of simple, rigid meshes made from commodity Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that are rotating at high speed. In motion, these simple PCB tamper-sensing meshes are as secure as the much more sophisticated -bespoke foils used in conventional HSMs, yet they are simpler and less expensive to manufacture. To verify that the mesh -is rotating correctly, an accelerometer is placed on the rotating mesh, and its centrifugal force reading is used to -validate its path of motion. +bespoke foils used in conventional HSMs against an attacker with access to commercially available tools, yet they are +simpler and less expensive to manufacture. To verify that the mesh is rotating correctly, an accelerometer is placed on +the rotating mesh, and its centrifugal force reading is used to validate its path of motion. IHSMs enable the protection of much larger payloads compared to conventional mesh designs, and they can support larger power dissipation. Combined with their low cost, this enables the implementation of high-level hardware security in applications that previously would not have been possible to secure. -IHSMs are the first fully open source HSM with advanced tamper sensing features. Across application domains, IHSMs can -be applied to gain resistance to physical attacks in scenarios where conventional HSMs were not used because of cost, -computing power or implementation effort. Where conventional HSMs come as fully integrated devices that only expose -limited APIs to their users, IHSMs at their core are just an enclosure that the user can put whatever hardware they need -into, adapting the tamper response to their application's needs. Since the simpler tamper-sensing mesh construction of -IHSMs scales to larger payload volumes, entire servers can be protected---something that is impossible with conventional -HSMs. Since the mesh in an IHSM is constantly moving, unlike a mesh in a conventional HSM, it does not have to entirely -cover the payload. Instead, it can have gaps that allow for air flow between outside and inside, enabling active cooling -of the IHSM's payload. This cooling capability sharply increases computing power by increasing feasible payload power -dissipation by two orders of magnitude. +To the best of our knowledge, IHSMs are the first fully open source, replicable HSM with advanced tamper sensing +features. Across application domains, IHSMs can be applied to gain resistance to physical attacks in scenarios where +conventional HSMs were not used because of cost, computing power or implementation effort. Where conventional HSMs come +as fully integrated devices that only expose limited APIs to their users, IHSMs at their core are just an enclosure that +the user can put whatever hardware they need into, adapting the tamper response to their application's needs. Since the +simpler tamper-sensing mesh construction of IHSMs scales to larger payload volumes, entire servers can be +protected---something that is impossible with conventional HSMs. Since the mesh in an IHSM is constantly moving, unlike +a mesh in a conventional HSM, it does not have to entirely cover the payload. Instead, it can have gaps that allow for +air flow between outside and inside, enabling active cooling of the IHSM's payload. This cooling capability increases +computing power by increasing feasible payload power dissipation by orders of magnitude~\cite{kordyban1998}. \section{Research Questions and Contributions}