System and method of masking electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions of a circuit

• US 9,496,981 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Kerry, Ventrone, Sebastian T.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Baotran N
• Application Number:
  US12/507,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20110019819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,673 Days
• Field of Search: 380/252, 380/253, 375/130
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming

Abstract

A system is provided for securing information residing on a circuit (e.g., processor). In particular, a system and method is provided for masking electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions emitting from a circuit using a random noise generator in combination with a low noise amplifier and antenna. The random number generator matches a frequency of a circuit to be protected, and generates a random signal to be superimposed on data. The low noise amplifier receives the random signal from the random number generator, and an antenna receives the random signal from the low noise amplifier and transmits the random signal to mask the data of the circuit to be protected.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a random number generator which matches a frequency of a circuit to be protected, and which generates a random signal to be superimposed on data;

a low noise amplifier which receives the random signal from the random number generator;

an antenna which receives the random signal from the low noise amplifier and transmits the random signal to mask the data of the circuit to be protected;

a mixer coupled to the low noise amplifier, wherein the mixer provides a reduced current consumption and performs power amplification as needed at the output, and a resulting modulated signal is output to the antenna without an intermediate power amplification stage; and

a control macro which determines a decrease in clock rate frequency when battery power is running low and provides updated information to the random number generator which then uses the updated information to adjust its frequency consistent with that of a clock rate frequency, wherein

the random signal superimposed on the data cannot be filtered from the data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the random number generator masks native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from the circuit to be protected.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the random number generator is embedded into the circuit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the random number generator is operated at a frequency consistent with the circuit or a function of the circuit to be protected and generates the random signal to be superimposed on native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from the circuit or the function of the circuit to be protected.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the random noise generator is coupled to the low noise amplifier and a data bus/clock.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control macro is further structured to determine an operating frequency of the circuit and to synchronize a frequency of the random number generator with the operating frequency of the circuit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mixer accepts as its input frequencies from the random number generator and presents at its output at least one of:

(i) a signal equal in frequency to a sum of the frequencies, (ii) a signal equal in frequency to a difference between the frequencies, and (iii) the frequencies from the random number generator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna is a high gain antenna.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna emits an obfuscating signal at precisely a same frequency of the circuit.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the antenna has a power output sufficient to mask bus traffic of the circuit, and not interfere with driver functions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control macro is further structured to balance the random number generator at a matched frequency of the circuit, creating a random number seed that sets an ever changing transmitting signal such that electrical emissions of active circuits are corrupted when monitored by a listening device.

12. A system structured to mask data from a circuit, comprising:

a random number generator coupled to a circuit;

a low noise amplifier coupled to the random number generator;

an antenna coupled to the low noise amplifier;

a mixer coupled to the low noise amplifier, wherein

the random number generator is operated at a frequency consistent with the circuit or a function of the circuit to be protected and generates random data superimposed on native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from the circuit or the function of the circuit to be protected,

the antenna transmits the random data to mask the data of the circuit to be protected, and

the mixer provides a reduced current consumption and performs power amplification as needed at the output, and a resulting modulated signal is output to the antenna without an intermediate power amplification stage; and

a control macro which is structured to balance the random number generator at a matched frequency of the circuit, creating a random number seed that sets an ever changing transmitting signal such that electrical emissions of active circuits are corrupted when monitored by a listening device, and further determines a decrease in clock rate frequency when battery power is running low and provides updated information to the random number generator which then uses the updated information to adjust its frequency consistent with that of a clock rate frequency.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the random data of the random number generator masks the native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from the circuit to be protected and the random data superimposed on the native EMI emissions cannot be filtered.

14. The system of claim 12, a wherein the control macro is further structured to determine an operating frequency of the circuit and to synchronize a frequency of the random number generator with that of the circuit.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the mixer accepts as its input frequencies from the random number generator and presents at its output at least one of:

(i) a signal equal in frequency to a sum of the frequencies, (ii) a signal equal in frequency to a difference between the frequencies, and (iii) the frequencies from the random number generator.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the antenna is a high gain antenna which has a power output sufficient to mask bus traffic of the circuit, and not interfere with driver functions.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the random number generator is extended to a plurality of internal data paths or active circuits.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the random number generator provides cover of ongoing background functions and sufficient replacement seeds can be queued up and phased over to new random patterns at a sufficient rate to prevent external reverse engineering of any data of the circuit.

19. A method comprising:

generating random data through a random number generator which matches a frequency of a circuit to be protected;

superimposing the random data on native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from a circuit or function of the circuit to be protected and at a frequency consistent with the circuit or the function of the circuit to be protected so that the random data superimposed on the native EMI emissions cannot be filtered;

mixing the random data so as to create a modulated signal with a reduced current consumption;

transmitting the modulated signal such that the transmitted random data masks the native electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions originating from the circuit or the function of the circuit to be protected;

balancing the random number generator at a matched frequency of the circuit and creating a random number seed that sets an ever changing transmitting signal such that electrical emissions of active circuits are corrupted when monitored by a listening device; and

determining a decrease in clock rate frequency when battery power is running low and providing such updated information to the random number generator which then uses the updated information to adjust its frequency consistent with that of a clock rate frequency.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing the frequency of the circuit to a random number generator for matching its own frequency with that of the provided frequency.

21. A system comprising:

a random number generator which matches a frequency of a circuit to be protected, and which generates a random signal to be superimposed on data;

a low noise amplifier which receives the random signal from the random number generator;

an antenna which receives the random signal from the low noise amplifier and transmits the random signal to mask the data of the circuit to be protected; and

a control macro which is structured to balance the random number generator at a matched frequency of the circuit, creating a random number seed that sets an ever changing transmitting signal such that electrical emissions of active circuits are corrupted when monitored by a listening device, wherein;

the random signal superimposed on the data cannot be filtered from the data; and

the control macro determines a decrease in clock rate frequency when battery power is running low and provides such updated information to the random number generator which then uses the updated information to adjust its frequency consistent with that of a clock rate frequency.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a mixer which provides a reduced current consumption and performs power amplification as needed at the output, and a resulting modulated signal is output to the antenna without an intermediate power amplification stage.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the output of the low noise amplifier is timed at precisely an instruction and data bus frequency, and fed to the antenna.