Timing Attack

Timing Attack

In cryptography, a timing attack is a side channel attack in which the attacker attempts to compromise a cryptosystem by analyzing the time taken to execute cryptographic algorithms. Every logical operation in a computer takes time to execure, and the time can differ based on the input; with precise measurements of the time for each operation, an attacker can work backwards to the input.

Information can leak from a system through measurement of the time it takes to respond to certain queries. How much this information can help an attacker depends on many variables: crypto system design, the CPU running the system, teh algorithms used, assorted implementation details, timing attack countermeasures, the accuracy of the timing measurements, etc.