| 摘要 |
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for secure information processing. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of providing secure encryption of sensitive information, often information related to money transactions, which must be kept secret. It has recently been found that monitoring the power supply leads and/or input/output ports of e.g. a microprocessor or a chip-card processor performing information encryption in an apparatus may reveal the security sensitive information. According to the present invention, a cost-effective and fast solution to this problem has been found. The solution utilises secondary power storing means that may be encapsulated together with the microprocessor so as to prevent unauthorised access to the processor's power supply leads. This encapsulated power supply is capable of supplying power to the microprocessor during security critical phases of an encryption program running on the microprocessor. Accordingly, external power leads or wires that normally feed power from a primary power supply to the microprocessor may be disconnected by a switching device during these security critical phases and power may instead be supplied from the encapsulated secondary power storing means, thereby monitoring the primary power supply leads will not reveal information about the sensitive information to be encrypted.
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