[Cryptech Tech] Fwd: Status tamper detection and MKM erasure (low dose gamma ray)

[Richard Lamb]

Pardon me if this has already been discussed but in my own commercial HSM
development efforts I have ran across a relatively simple but effective
protection against attempts to discern memory states using low dose gamma
rays such as those from a lab Co-60 source.  Simply inverting the bits of
the MKM every tenth of a second or so may be effective.
Even with X,gamma, etc detectors built into my HSM, distinction between
high dose and low dose is a difficult task given unknown deployment
environments. Hence this suggestion.

Again, I apologize if this has been discussed already.

-Rick Lamb

PS: Only caveat I would point out is this bit flipping has also been used
in the standard tamper detection chip used by many HSM vendors (Dallas
semi.. I need to look up number). So it may be fall under some IPR from
that chip maker.
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