Papers for

hardware security teams

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Families of special Boolean functions help build secure cryptography

Explicit Constructions of Maximum-Cardinality Families of Plateaued Functions with Pairwise Disjoint Walsh Supports

Abstract: Families of plateaued Boolean functions with pairwise disjoint Walsh supports are useful in secondary constructions of cryptographic Boolean functions. Of particular interest are maximum-cardinality families whose members admit no nonzero linear structures. To the best of our knowledge, the previously known general construction attaining both properties is spectral (Hodžić et al., IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 65(9): 5865--5879, 2019). In that work, explicit algebraic normal forms are not generally provided, and no general method is established for prescribing a common algebraic degree for all family members. In this paper, we present two new explicit algebraic constructions within a unified framework, one based on linear functions and the other on partially linear functions with bent components. Let $p\geq 2$ and $q\geq 0$ satisfy $q<2^p-p-1$, and set $m=p+q$. Both constructions yield maximum-cardinality families of $2^{q+1}$ $(q+1)$-plateaued Boolean functions with pairwise disjoint Walsh supports. No member admits a nonzero linear structure, and every member has an explicit generalized Maiorana--McFarland representation. The first construction produces functions in $m+p+1$ variables and realizes any prescribed common algebraic degree $3\leq d\leq p+1$, provided that $q<\sum_{i=2}^{d-1}\binom{p}{i}$; its maximum attainable degree $p+1$ is optimal. The second construction produces functions in $n+p+1$ variables, where $n>m$ and $n-m$ is even, and realizes any prescribed common algebraic degree $3\leq d\leq p+(n-m)/2$, provided that $q<\sum_{i=2}^{\min\{d-1,p\}}\binom{p}{i}$; its maximum attainable degree $p+(n-m)/2$ is next-to-optimal.

Fri 18 SeptInformation Theory
The gist
This paper focuses on creating large groups of special Boolean functions called plateaued functions that have unique properties useful in cryptography. These functions do not share certain patterns that could weaken security and come with explicit algebraic formulas. The authors develop two new ways to construct these functions with controlled complexity and guarantee they don’t have certain weaknesses. This work advances methods for designing cryptographic components with strong and predictable properties.
Open 2609.21389v1

Generalizing and characterizing shift-invariant maps for lightweight cryptography

A generalization of the map $χ$

Abstract: The mapping $ χ_n:\mathbb{F}_2^n \to \mathbb{F}_2^n$ defined by $y=χ_n(x)$ with $y_i = x_i + x_{i+1}x_{i+2} + x_{i+2}$, where the indices are computed modulo $n$, has been widely studied for its application in lightweight cryptography. In this paper, we generalize this mapping and completely characterize all these shift-invariant permutations of algebraic degree $2$.

Thu 17 SeptInformation Theory
The gist
The authors study a special type of function used in lightweight cryptography, which helps secure data on small devices. They look at a known function that mixes bits in a specific way and then find all the possible similar functions doing the same kind of mixing. Their work helps understand the full range of such functions that keep things balanced and stable over shifts and have a certain mathematical complexity.
Open 2609.19548v1

Generative model improves hardware portability of deep learning side-channel analysis

s-MDM: Generative Virtualization of Multi-Device Hardware Variations for Portable DL-SCA

Abstract: Deep Learning-based Side-Channel Analysis (DL-SCA) frequently suffers from catastrophic performance degradation across unseen hardware due to printed circuit board routing differences, silicon process variations, and measurement noise shifts. This poster presents the Synthetic Multiple Device Model (s-MDM), a zero-target-trace generative framework designed to improve cross-device portability. s-MDM combines a structured cVAE generator, a Walsh-Hadamard leakage anchor, continuous style modulation, and decoupled leakage-style--domain critics to synthesize virtual source-device profiles offline. Benchmarked on 32-bit side-channel traces (AES_PTv2), s-MDM maps a precise operational boundary: while physical MDM remains superior on identical electrical clones (D4), s-MDM achieves consistently low key rank on the layout/acquisition-shifted Pinata target, where physical baselines are unstable or misaligned.

Wed 16 SeptCryptography and Security
The gist
Deep learning methods that analyze hardware to find secret information often fail when tested on new devices because of subtle differences in hardware. The authors created a new generative model called s-MDM that creates virtual device profiles to train such methods without needing data from the new devices. Their model works well on different hardware setups where traditional methods struggle or fail. This approach helps make deep learning side-channel analysis more reliable and portable across various devices.
Open 2609.18783v1

Resynthesis domain learning improves circuit graph neural network adaptation

ReDIL-GNN: Resynthesis Domain Incremental Learning for Circuit Graph Neural Networks

Abstract: Logic resynthesis preserves circuit functionality while changing gate vocabulary, topology, and structural statistics, creating domain shift for circuit graph neural networks (GNNs) without changing task labels. To study this setting, we introduce ReDIL-GNN, a resynthesis domain-incremental learning framework that adapts a fixed prediction or representation head as new synthesis styles arrive and evaluates retention on all previously observed domains. Because not every shift should be adapted blindly, ReDIL-GNN further introduces the Resynthesis Adaptability Index (RAI), a pre-adaptation score that combines adaptation need, source-equivalence recoverability, structural coverage, and update compatibility. We evaluate supervised hardware-security tasks and representation-learning models using task-native metrics for classifiers and source-equivalence retrieval metrics for embedding models, comparing naive fine-tuning with LwF, Online EWC, MAS, ER, A-GEM, DER++, ER+LwF, and equivalence-guided replay. Across the studied pipelines, RAI separates unsupported shifts from promising updates, ranging from 0.001 for a structurally uncovered GNN-RE ABC-rewrite shift to 0.824 for the best original-only GNN-RE adaptation case. In practice, ReDIL-GNN turns resynthesis-aware circuit learning into a deployment control loop: RAI screens each new synthesis flow before update, guiding whether to reuse the current model, apply retention-aware adaptation, or defer adaptation until the shift is better supported.

Wed 16 SeptMachine LearningNeural and Evolutionary Computing
The gist
Changes in how computer circuits are built can confuse models that analyze them since the circuit’s structure changes but its function stays the same. The authors created a method called ReDIL-GNN that helps models adapt to these changes by deciding when and how to update themselves. They also designed a score, the Resynthesis Adaptability Index, to predict if adapting to a new circuit style will help or hurt the model. Their approach helps keep models accurate over time by smartly choosing when to learn from new circuit designs.
Open 2609.18595v1