
\chapter*{Abstract}
\adjustmtc
\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{Abstract}

%Through advancements in cryptography, nowadays it is feasible to construct networked computer systems that for all
%intents and purposes cannot be hacked over the network. Correctly applying cryptographic protocols and techniques such
%as formal verification, it can be ensured that a software implementation is a flawless representation of its theoretical
%model, and that the theoretical model is secure given universally accepted cryptographic assumptions. Despite 

With cryptographic advancements and techniques like formal verification leading to increasingly secure software, the
hardware level advances into the focus of contemporary applied computer security research. However, the state of the art
in hardware security still often relies on the use of microelectronic integration to achieve security by obscurity over
more fundamental security guarantees. System-level tamper protection is sometimes used, but remains relegated to niche
applications due to the high cost and low performance of devices like Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).

In this thesis, Jan Sebastian Götte introduces the Inertial Hardware Security Module (IHSM), a new architecture for
low-cost hardware security modules that provide high-level active tamper protection, while supporting computing payloads
of much larger size, weight and power dissipation compared to conventional HSMs. In an IHSM, the costly and difficult to
source tamper-sensing mesh of a conventional HSM is replaced by a mesh made from simple PCBs that is rotating at high
speed around the payload. Since the mesh is rotating, it cannot be manipulated, and the security of conventional meshes
created in bespoke manufacturing processes can be achieved using much simpler and less expensive construction
techniques. The thesis presents solutions to key engineering challenges in IHSM construction including a highly
symmetric planar inductor design for rotating wireless power transfer and a high-fidelity monitoring system for low-cost
security meshes.

Applying IHSM technology, the thesis concludes with analyses of two use cases that are unlocked by the increased
size and power dissipation capability of IHSMs. In the first analysis, an IHSM-secured relay node for Quantum Key
Distribution (QKD) systems is proposed, enabling their practical implementation across arbitrary distances, which
requires trusted relay stations due to fundamental physical limitations. In the study, IHSMs are adapted for such
high-security QKD relays by securing the IHSM mesh passthrough with a secondary tamper-sensing mesh. In this setup, a
bracket design is proposed that supports passing through optical fibers at low loss.

The second proposed use case adapts an IHSM enclosure to the size, power and thermal dissiptation requirements of a
high-power server to support co-located secure Multiparty Computation (MPC) workloads. MPC in practice is limited by
network bandwidth and latency constraints that cannot be avoided without physically secure nodes. Conventional HSMs
cannot serve MPC workloads since their cryptographic performance is too low by many orders of magnitude. An IHSM-secured
MPC node circumvents these limitations, unlocking a new performance spectrum.
