Hermes: A reversible language for lightweight encryption

Abstract

Hermes is a domain-specific language for writing lightweight encryption algorithms: It is reversible, so it is not necessary to write separate encryption and decryption procedures. Hermes uses a type system that avoids several types of side-channel attacks, by ensuring no secret values are left in memory and that operations on secret data spend time independent of the value of this data, thus preventing timing-based attacks. We show a complete formal specification of Hermes, argue absence of timing-based attacks (under reasonable assumptions), and compare implementations of well-known lightweight encryption algorithms in Hermes and C. • A domain-specific language for light-weight encryption. • Avoids some forms of side-channel attacks. • Reversible, so decryption function derived from encryption function. • Type system separates secret and public values.