Welcome to the fourth lab of
ECRYPT, the Virtual Applications and Implementations Research Lab
(VAMPIRE).
The VAMPIRE lab has a dual role in ECRYPT. On one hand, active
research is performed on new techniques that are related to efficient
and secure implementation. On the other hand, VAMPIRE provides a
bridge between the research and the user community.
In concrete terms, the technical goals of the VAMPIRE lab for the
duration of ECRYPT can be summarized as: development of novel
efficient implementation techniques in hardware and software;
development of a solid understanding of existing and new side channel
attacks and efficient countermeasures; researching and understanding
of cryptanalytical hardware and its impact on cryptographic
parameters.
There are also non-technical objectives: We hope that the important
field of cryptographic implementation grows internationally through
VAMPIRE and that the interplay of secure algorithms and secure
implementations becomes more prominent. We hope to foster cooperation
between strong engineering groups and pure crypto groups.
Also, it is a major goal to bridge the existing gap between the
research community and engineers in industry who need to apply
implementation techniques. Another important objective is to assist
the researchers in the other (more theoretical) Virtual Labs in
understanding the requirements and meeting the needs of applied
cryptography. The interdisciplinary structure of ECRYPT appears to be
an ideal mechanism to reach these goals.
VAMPIRE consists of three working groups: