Introduction to Hardware Security (LTAT.04.023)
Course info
| Course code | LTAT.04.023 |
| Course title | Introduction to Hardware Security |
| Responsible | Daniel Würsch (daniel.wursch@ut.ee) |
| Credits | 3 ECTS |
| Language | English |
| Lectures | Fridays, 10:15 - 12:00, in Delta room 2034 |
| Moodle | **TBA** |
| Zulip | **TBA** |
What is this course about?
Hardware security studies how digital systems can fail, leak information, or be attacked because of their physical implementation. While software security focuses mostly on code, hardware security looks at the devices underneath the code: chips, boards, embedded systems, firmware, debug interfaces, measurement equipment, and physical attack surfaces.
Students should get an introduction to the security problems that appear when attackers can interact with real devices instead of only with abstract software systems. The course is relevant for students interested in cybersecurity, embedded systems, cryptography, electronics, digital identity, IoT, critical infrastructure, etc.
The course involves hands-on work. Students will complete practical exercises and assignments using real microcontrollers and hardware, allowing them to observe, reproduce, and better understand attacks. These exercises are intended to connect the theory from lectures with practical experience in analysing devices, communicating with embedded systems, extracting information, and evaluating hardware-level security assumptions.
Prelimenary Schedule
As this is the first iteration of this course, the schedule is prelimenary and might change
| Week | Date | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 2026 | Introduction |
| 2 | 11 September 2026 | Basics electronics |
| 3 | 18 September 2026 | Programming microcontrollers |
| 4 | 25 September 2026 | Serial communication |
| 5 | 2 October 2026 | Recon, teardown, and PCB tracing |
| 6 | 9 October 2026 | Dumping memory |
| 7 | 16 October 2026 | Firmware acquisition over update channels |
| 8 | 23 October 2026 | Wireless communication |
| 9 | 30 October 2026 | Timing side-channels |
| 10 | 6 November 2026 | Fault injection |
| 11 | 13 November 2026 | Power analysis (SPA) |
| 12 | 20 November 2026 | Power analysis (DPA/CPA) |
| 13 | 27 November 2026 | Microarchitectural side-channels on modern computers |
| 14 | 4 December 2026 | Countermeasures and secure hardware design |
| 15 | 11 December 2026 | Physical tamper protection and response |
| 16 | 18 December 2026 | Test |