Hardware

CLP Security Modules

CLP-03: AES Cipher

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has been standardized by NIST to replace the Data Encryption Standard. It is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of cryptography and is now included in 802.11i, WiMAX, SSL, IPSec and many other applications. The CLP-03 core is a fully proven block available for immediate licensing.

Key Features:

• Supports ECB and CBC modes
• OFB, CFB, CCM and OMAC versions optionally available
• Support for 128, 192 and 256 bit keys
• 32 bit data interface
• Key expander options to suit the application
• Key memory accessible through separate memory interface
• Test bench and synthesis scripts provided

Applications:

• IPSec and SSL designs in residential gateways, multi-service access products
• Storage - SAN/NAS applications
• WLAN applications such as 802.11i and 802.16
• Military communications systems
• Secure video surveillance
• Secure audio communications

General Description

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a subset of the Rijndael algorithm, has been standardized by NIST to replace DES which is no longer considered secure. The AES algorithm is a 128 bit block cipher that supports three different key sizes: 128, 192, and 256 bits.

The CLP-03 implementation fully supports the AES algorithm for all three key sizes. The core supports both Electronic Code Book (ECB) and Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) modes. It can be augmented to support Counter Mode (CTR), Counter Mode with CBC-MAC (CCM), and One-key MAC (OMAC) methods of operation. The AES context consists of a key which is one of 128, 192, or 256 bits, and, where required, an initialization vector, counter, and other data depending on the mode of operation. The context is accessed through the control processor port on the block.

The following table outlines the resource utilization and performance achieved by the CLP-03 with 128 bit keys in target Lattice FPGAs.

Search