At the 2017 Cryptographic Chip Forum of Chinese Association for Cryptologic Research (CryptoIC 2017) held on September 23-24, 2017 in Chengdu, Open Security Research, Inc. launched China’'s first proprietary intellectual property rights-based PhotonSide-Channel Attack (PSCA) device. With an accurate time measurement chip developed by Shenzhen Laboratory of IC Design Engineering for Internet of Things (College of Computer Science & Software Engineering, Shenzhen University), the PSCA device can determine the duration of photon leakage accurately during operation of the chip. It leads the world in terms of photon detection accuracy and cryptanalysis efficiency. Successful launch of the home-made PSCA device represents a new level of the IC chip vulnerability detection technologies of China. The PSCA device can be widely used in chip enterprises, security certification laboratories and academic institutions, putting an end to our country’s complete dependence on import of commercial chip vulnerability detection devices.

PSCA proposed in the year of 2012 is a side channel attack method based on “photon detection”. While traditional methods take temperature for chips, PSCA is like “X-ray examination”: It detects the security vulnerabilities of chips by analyzing the photon information leaked during chip operation. It is more accurate than traditional methods by 100 times. It is generally considered the next-generation side channel attack technology in the IC chip vulnerability detection sector.

Accurate measurement of the duration of each leaking photon during chip operation is the key technology for security vulnerability analysis in PSCA. The technical team of College of Computer Science & Software Engineering, Shenzhen University designed a signal acquisition and analysis device based on an independently developed accurate time measurement chip. The device is a great technical guarantee for PSCA devices in terms of measurement accuracy and efficiency of photon leakage duration and significantly improves the system integration of PSCA devices.

The accurate time measurement chip independently developed by College of Computer Science & Software Engineering, Shenzhen University can realize measurement of the picosecond level (10s-12s). Thanks to its adaptive feedback architecture, its performance is independent of temperature changes or mains voltage changes. It has six separate measurement channels and outputs time measurement results as digital codes. It can be widely used in digital measurement of photon pulses, measurement by ultrasonic flow meters, laser ranging, etc.

Founded in July 2014, Open Security Research, Inc. has scholars once studying in foreign countries such as Belgium, UK, Singapore and Sweden and elites in the sector in China as well. It specializes in the development and security chip service of commercial information security product detection devices. It has extensive cooperation with the technical team of College of Computer Science & Software Engineering, Shenzhen University in fields such as design of ultra-low power consumption ICs and information security of cryptographic chips and Internet of Things.