observed_extensions

Type

JSON Object (similar to probe_placement but without paths)

Default

By default, PROLEAD considers all probe-extensions for the evaluation.

/* Default configuration (not given in the settings file) */
"side_channel_analysis": {
    "observed_extensions": {
      "include": {
        "signals": ".*"
      },	
      "exclude": {
        "signals": "(?!)"
      }   
    }
  }
}

Description

Limit the set of wires which are part of the observation sets, enabling you to avoid unnecessary wires during the evaluation and focus on those of particular interest. This configuration relies on include and exclude settings, which use regular expressions (regex) to specify the wires of interest.

• If the include setting is defined first, all wires matching the include regex will be considered for observation, provided they do not match the subsequent exclude regex.
• Similarly, if the exclude setting is defined first, all wires matching the exclude regex will not be considered for observation, unless they match the following include regex.

Impact

For a comprehensive security evaluation, we recommend using the default settings. However, if the focus is on specific wires, this configuration significantly reduces both runtime and memory usage.

Examples

"side_channel_analysis": {
    "observed_extensions": {
      "include": {
        "signals": ".*"
      },	
      "exclude": {
        "signals": "port_[ab]\\[0\\]"
      }   
    }
  }
}

In this example, the wires port_a[0] and port_b[0] are excluded from the analysis. This means that while a probe can still be extended to port_a[0] or port_b[0], any signal captured by the probe on these wires will be disregarded for the purposes of the analysis.

Suggested Articles

• For guidance on adjusting the positions where probes can be placed by an adversary, see probe_placement.
• To learn about settings that can halt probe extensions due to glitches at specific points, see extension_routes.