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Security·1 min read

TÜVIT Attacks Chips on Purpose to Test Their Hardware Security

The testing body TÜVIT deliberately attacks processors to check their protections. Part of the toolkit is a laser system that costs around 500,000 euros.

A security lab technician examines a processor chip under a laser test setup.
Image: c't Magazin
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The German testing organization TÜVIT deliberately attacks chips to find out how well their protective mechanisms hold up. Among the tools used in this work are lasers, and the equipment involved can cost as much as 500,000 euros.

Attacking hardware to prove it is secure

The approach turns the usual logic of security around: instead of trusting a manufacturer's claims, testers try to break the processor itself. If a chip withstands such attempts, its protection is better documented. If it does not, weaknesses become visible before criminals can exploit them.

The price tag of the laser equipment shows that this kind of testing is a specialized, capital-intensive discipline. Attacks on hardware differ from software exploits because they target the physical component rather than the code running on it.

Why it matters

Chips sit at the core of payment cards, identity documents, connected devices and many other products whose security depends on the silicon underneath. Independent testing of that layer gives manufacturers and buyers a basis for judging how resilient a component really is.

Further details on the individual methods and test procedures were not available at the time of writing.

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Tags:tuvitchip securityhardware attackslaserprocessors

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