Cryptographics - Exploiting Graphics Cards for Security

Software that covertly monitors user actions, also known as spyware, has become a first-level security threat due to its ubiquity and the difficulty of detecting and removing it. This is especially so for video conferencing, thin-client computing and Internet cafes.

CryptoGraphics: Exploiting Graphics Cards for Security explores the potential for implementing ciphers within GPUs, and describes the relevance of GPU-based encryption to the security of applications involving remote displays. As the processing power of GPUs increases, research involving the use of GPUs for general purpose computing has arisen. This work extends such research by considering the use of a GPU as a parallel processor for encrypting data. The authors evaluate the operations found in symmetric and asymmetric key ciphers to determine if encryption can be programmed in existing GPUs. A detailed description for a GPU based implementation of AES is provided. The feasibility of GPU-based encryption allows the authors to explore the use of a GPU as a trusted system component. Unencrypted display data can be confined to the GPU to avoid exposing it to any malware running on the operating system.

Written for: Industry practitioners and researchers