With PLATYPUS , we present novel software-based power side-channel attacks on Intel server, desktop and laptop CPUs. We exploit the unprivileged access to the Intel RAPL interface exposing the processor's power consumption to infer data and extract cryptographic keys .
Luckily, the update interval of the RAPL interface is low compared to real oscilloscopes. The RAPL interface has a bandwidth of 20 kHz, whereas oscilloscopes are in the range of multiple GHz. Moreover, the values are filtered using a running average, making it harder to infer secrets.
Platypuses are fascinating animals: While they are mammals, they also lay eggs, and males can detect electrical signals with their bill. Likewise to the Platypus that uses its ability to find food even in complete darkness, we sense secrets in the processor's energy measurements using Intel RAPL.
Daniel Gruss
Michael Schwarz @ CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Moritz Lipp
Claudio Canella @ Graz University of Technology
Collide+Power
Andreas Kogler
Moritz Lipp
Daniel Gruss