In this half hour, we showcase the march of progress leading to the first Monero Hardware Wallet release.
While considering what qualities existing hardware wallet technology often provides, we at Monero Hardware illustrate a fresh new design including a secure element unencumbered by NDA (nondisclosure agreement) terms. We show and explain other unique features as well, arising from a well documented set of requirements.
Proceeding, we consider attack vectors including decapsulation, electron and voltage contrast microscopy, side channel glitching and correlation power analysis, as well as potting compound removal and run of the mill hypodermic needle tapping of serial bus lanes.
Continuing with hardware design, we review the workflow designers and layout engineers follow while creating an experimental circuit. We reflect on the six month project and it’s unique distribution and test process as well as strong community ties supported by the communication and documentation we’ve chosen to emphasize. Lastly, we explain the production of a hardware wallet device from print to assembly and even demonstrate a rapid prototyping hardware run to produce a single board (components and all) live.
Michael Schloh von Bennewitz is a computer scientist specializing in embedded systems and network engineering. He actively contributes to the Opensource development community and teaches security analysis workshops. Speaking at technical events every year, Michael has presented for Black Hat, Nokia, Ubuntu, ARIN, Droidcon, AstriCon, the Mobile World Congress, Dockercon, and the CCC. He currently develops hardware with the Monero Project.