I wonder if it will be mitigated by requiring a larger minimum voltage?
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_fault_analysis
The problem is that this doesn't work for high performance CPUs, so it can only really be done for things like TSEC or Apple's SEP. You need the CPU to have a large margin where it operates correctly, so the sensor doesn't have to be extremely fast and accurate (which is nigh impossible with on-chip sensors with no external reference). And even then it has to be able to detect things like microsecond-long dips in the supply voltage, or extreme temperatures, or a single clock pulse that's too short. It's really hard.
Several years ago, I got the Wii U PowerPC boot ROM keys out by doing a self contained glitching attack like this. In that case it was a reset glitch, where I pulsed the reset line for less than the required 256 clock cycles (from the ARM core which controls it). At very specific pulse widths (that varied from device to device), that got the CPU into an inconsistent execution state that eventually fell out of the Boot ROM and into code I'd placed in RAM. That one could've easily been mitigated by a reset stretcher circuit, but it's another fun example of a "self-glitch" attack with no additional hardware.
It's the basis of how DirecTV cards were compromised in the late 90s/early 00s.
The best video about it that I've seen is from 33c3 https://youtu.be/lhbSD1Jba0Q
He bought a carful of cable boxes and glitched them into submission using a NOP slide and custom code to extract the firmware, IIRC over I2C.
It was an awesome talk and really explained it well!!
Has anyone ever hacked DishNetwork/Echostar/Nagravision cards? 10+ years ago I was fascinated to learn about how the new at the time "Nagra3" cards worked so well. I never did find out how those things worked as they seemed impossible to break. I also vaguely remember the story of how Directv owners (owners of FOX networks) secretly commissioned some hackers in Israel to crack their competitors systems while at the same time securing their system further. They eventually got sued but paid a pittance in restitution while their competitors suffered serious financial issues. Really unethical behavior.
It wasn't much of a secret.
Newscorp (the FOX assholes) didn't control DTV until 2003. Prior to that, however, DTV utilized the services of NDS for security.
NDS was owned by Newscorp, and run by ex-mossad hackers. For some strange reason DTV was constantly owned again and again while NDS was responsible for security at DTV.
In 2002, DTV rolled out a new access card without the involvement of NDS, and by golly, it was secure (and remained secure for years).
In 2003, Newscorp said fuck that, and bought a controlling interest in DTV.
How would you detect low voltage without a reference voltage?
(Also, temperature sensors. Sheesh people.)