What is it about?
The Problem: Devices "Leak" Secrets When electronic devices (like the chips in smart cards or IoT devices) perform encryption, they unintentionally emit electromagnetic (EM) signals. Sophisticated attackers can record these signals—even from a distance—and analyze them to figure out the device's secret cryptographic keys. This is known as an Electromagnetic Side-Channel Analysis (EM-SCA) attack. The Solution: Repurposing Reliability Shields for Security. Usually, engineers use Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shields (special materials like conductive fabrics or sprays) just to make sure devices don't interfere with each other—a reliability standard known as EMC. Our paper investigates using these existing, standard industrial materials to also block the "leaking" signals that hackers use, effectively turning a reliability tool into a security feature.
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Why is it important?
This research shows that manufacturers can protect devices against advanced hacking techniques using standard, affordable materials that they likely already use for compliance standards, without needing expensive hardware redesigns.
Perspectives
Key Findings Metal Fabrics Work Best: Conductive fiber shields (specifically silver and copper-based fabrics) were much more effective at blocking the data leakage than silicone-based polymers. Layering is Powerful: We discovered that layering these shields (e.g., using 3 layers instead of 1) increases the security level exponentially. Cost-Effective: Unlike other security methods that require redesigning the chip or slowing down the software, this method uses off-the-shelf materials that are already used in manufacturing, making it a very low-cost way to boost security. Predictability: We created a mathematical rule of thumb that links a material's Shielding Effectiveness (a standard reliability metric) to its ability to stop hackers (cryptographic sense SNR), helping engineers choose the right materials easily.
Daniel Dov
Universitat Bar-Ilan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: EMI Shielding for Use in Side-Channel Security: Analysis, Simulation, and Measurements, ACM Journal on Emerging Technologies in Computing Systems, December 2025, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3748508.
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