Side Channel Analysis (SCA) attacks are commonly used to extract secret keys from cryptographic engines in modern devices. These attacks exploit side channels like Timing, Power, and Electromagnetic leaks to gather information about the secret key. Even strong cryptography algorithms like AES are susceptible to SCA attacks without countermeasures in place. The discovery by Ledger Dojon that the flash encryption key of the ESP32 chip could be extracted through a power analysis attack was not surprising. Ledger’s research, along with other examples like SCA attacks on iPhones and Xbox 360, is fascinating. This blog post provides an overview of their in-depth research on breaking the hardware AES engine using a power analysis attack on the ESP32 chip.
https://raelize.com/blog/espressif-systems-esp32-breaking-hw-aes-with-power-analysis/