Hardware Security Research Labs Announced by Abu Dhabi’s TII
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) introduced it’s new hardware security research laboratories in Abu Dhabi first of their kind in the Middle East and North Africa area. These labs will offer advanced capabilities for testing hardware cryptographic implementations and analysing the security of embedded systems.
The laboratories specialize in various advanced techniques such as side-channel analysis, fault-injection-based attacks, hardware penetration testing, and fuzzing. They possess reverse engineering capabilities and utilize machine learning algorithms to detect sophisticated malware and ransomware.
As a division of TII’s Cryptography Research Centre (CRC), the hardware laboratories aim to provide comprehensive solutions for design security verification and evaluation across multiple applications. These applications range from national safety and automotive to lightweight IoT-based implementations like smart homes and smart meters. The labs also focus on testing and fortifying industrial applications such as smart grids, healthcare devices security, as well as devices and implementations resistant to post-quantum cryptography. Several key projects that can benefit from the labs’ verification services include specialized embedded systems, smartcards, PCBs, ASIC chips, FPGA boards, COTS microcontrollers, and other similar devices.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the labs feature advanced equipment like high-end measurement instruments, oscilloscopes, signal generators, logic analyzers, lasers, specialized side-channel and fault-injection test benches, current and EM probes, as well as cables, amplifiers, a climate chamber, and cutting-edge experiment tables. Additionally, the labs maintain dedicated storage servers in a secure air-gapped environment, ensuring the reliability of evaluations while protecting the confidentiality and integrity of all data.
A primary objective of these labs is to enhance the United Arab Emirates’ technological sovereignty in the field of embedded cryptography. They support the entire end-to-end lifecycle of cryptographic systems, including design, implementation, verification, and security evaluation. The labs also offer documentation and training support to further empower their clients.
