Comparative Study of Safety and Security-Protected AES Designs

With the increase in cybersecurity requirements and the growing connectivity of critical systems like vehicles and satellites, implementing both functional safety and hardware security is crucial. Although safety and security methods are well studied, combined analysis at the RTL or Netlist level remains under-explored. This paper provides an initial analysis of multiple AES designs—one unprotected, one with a safety-oriented countermeasure (Lockstep), and one with security-oriented countermeasures (Parity-Predictor)—using both simulation and formal methods. We identify the challenges and opportunities for enhancing combined safety and security assessments. Additionally, we evaluate the AES designs against ISO 26262 safety metrics and analyze their resilience to laser attacks, offering insight into their security robustness.