Electromagnetic Side-Channel Analysis — Wiki Index
Last Updated: April 12, 2026
This page is the central hub for all EM-SCA knowledge in this wiki. Follow the map below to navigate from foundational concepts through practical implementation, market context, and career development.
Knowledge Map
[coursera-sigint.md]
Prerequisites & Learning Path
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ electromagnetic-side-channel- │
│ analysis.md │
│ Theory, history, attack taxonomy, │
│ countermeasures, research 2024-2026 │
└──────────────┬─────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ electromagnetic-side-channel- │
│ practical-guide.md │
│ Hardware setup, software stack, CEMA code, │
│ TEMPEST attacks, signal processing pipeline│
└──────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬─────────┘
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐
│ entry-level- │ │ research- │ │ professional- │
│ em-sca- │ │ grade-em-sca- │ │ em-sca- │
│ setup.md │ │ lab.md │ │ facility.md │
│ <$200 │ │ $300–$1,500 │ │ $5k–$50k+ │
│ RTL-SDR │ │ HackRF/Blade │ │ USRP X410 │
└───────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └───────────────────┘
│
┌────────────┴────────────┐
│ │
▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ tempest-standards- │ │ pqc-em-sca.md │
│ reference.md │ │ Post-quantum crypto & │
│ NSTISSAM, NATO, zone │ │ CRYSTALS-Kyber attacks │
│ classification │ │ │
└──────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────┘
─────────────────────── Market Layer ────────────────────────
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ em-sca-market-analysis-overview.md │
│ $280M market (2026), segments, growth to 2035 │
└───────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────┴──────────┐
▼ ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────┐
│ em-sca-key- │ │ em-sca-consumer- │
│ players- │ │ applications.md │
│ companies.md │ │ IoT, automotive, │
│ Riscure, NewAE, │ │ forensics, smart home │
│ FortifyIQ… │ │ │
└─────────────────┘ └────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ sigint-private-companies-em- │
│ intelligence.md │
│ Defense contractors, commercial SIGINT│
│ HawkEye 360, L3Harris, HENSOLDT… │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
File Descriptions & Connections
Foundational Theory
| File | Summary | Links to |
|---|
| electromagnetic-side-channel-analysis.md | Academic research overview: TEMPEST history, attack taxonomy (SEMA/CEMA/DL), countermeasures, 2024–2026 breakthroughs (Kitazawa active EM-SCA, ECDSA on smartphones) | Practical guide, equipment tiers, PQC page, TEMPEST reference |
| tempest-standards-reference.md | NSTISSAM TEMPEST/1-92, NATO SDIP-27 zone classification, FIPS 140-3 EM requirements, history from Cold War to present | Academic overview, professional facility |
| pqc-em-sca.md | Post-quantum crypto (CRYSTALS-Kyber, Dilithium) side-channel vulnerabilities, EM attack vectors, current countermeasures | Academic overview, practical guide |
Implementation & Equipment
| File | Budget | Key Hardware | Links to |
|---|
| electromagnetic-side-channel-practical-guide.md | Any | HackRF, RTL-SDR, Langer probes | All equipment tiers, tools (ChipWhisperer, SCAAML, ASCAD) |
| entry-level-em-sca-setup.md | < $200 | RTL-SDR v3, DIY probes | Practical guide, research-grade (upgrade path), Coursera path |
| research-grade-em-sca-lab.md | $300–$1,500 | HackRF One, BladeRF 2.0, Langer probes | Entry-level (upgrade from), professional (upgrade to), key players (NewAE, Nuand) |
| professional-em-sca-facility.md | $5k–$50k+ | USRP X410, Keysight oscilloscopes, anechoic chamber | Key players (Riscure, Keysight, Langer EMV), market analysis, TEMPEST standards |
Market & Industry
| File | Summary | Links to |
|---|
| em-sca-market-analysis-overview.md | Market sizing ($280M 2026 → $750-900M 2035), segments by geography/vertical, growth catalysts (UN R155, NIST PQC, CHIPS Act) | Key players, consumer apps, SIGINT companies |
| em-sca-key-players-companies.md | 12 companies across 3 tiers: Riscure, BrightSight, Rambus, NewAE, FortifyIQ, Keysight, R&S, Langer EMV, startups | Market overview, consumer apps, equipment guides |
| em-sca-consumer-applications.md | Consumer verticals: IoT ($45M), automotive ($35M), smartphone forensics ($25M), smart home ($15M) | Key players (Riscure, UL/BrightSight, FortifyIQ), standards (ETSI EN 303 645, UN R155) |
| sigint-private-companies-em-intelligence.md | Defense contractors (Lockheed, Northrop, RTX) and commercial SIGINT (HawkEye 360, SNC). Defense→commercial EM technology transfer | EM-SCA market (ELINT/TEMPEST overlap), professional facility, academic research |
| sigint-academic-research-overview.md | Deep academic survey: AMC, SEI/RF fingerprinting, TDOA/AOA geolocation, ELINT (radar recognition, LPI/LPD), cognitive EW, CEMA doctrine, commercial space SIGINT, datasets (RadioML, ASCAD) | SIGINT companies, EM-SCA academic, Coursera path |
Education & Learning
| File | Summary | Links to |
|---|
| coursera-sigint.md | 6-month learning path (Gantt chart): DSP → Hardware Security → RF Engineering → ML for Signals. 333 total hours across 17 courses | Entry-level setup (first practical step after Phase 2), academic overview |
Infrastructure (Homelab)
| File | Summary | Links to |
|---|
| proxmox-homelab.md | Hub for Proxmox/Docker homelab infrastructure notes | community-scripts-org.md, malindra-lxc-setup.md |
| community-scripts-org.md | community-scripts.org — 400+ Proxmox VE automation scripts, Docker/HAOS installs | malindra-lxc-setup.md (uses docker.sh script), proxmox-homelab.md |
| malindra-lxc-setup.md | LXC container setup for malindra portfolio platform (FastAPI + Next.js + TimescaleDB + MongoDB) | community-scripts-org.md (docker.sh), proxmox-homelab.md |
Cross-Topic Connections
Equipment Tier Upgrade Path
entry-level-em-sca-setup.md → research-grade-em-sca-lab.md → professional-em-sca-facility.md
Each file explicitly documents the upgrade path to the next tier. Key transition points:
- Entry → Research: RTL-SDR → HackRF One (transmit capability unlocks active EM-SCA)
- Research → Professional: HackRF → USRP X410 (MIMO, 400 MHz bandwidth, 14-bit ADC)
| Tool | Entry | Research | Professional | Practical Guide |
|---|
| ChipWhisperer | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| GNU Radio | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| SCAAML (Google) | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| ASCAD (ANSSI) | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| TempestSDR | – | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Langer EMV probes | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| USRP platforms | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
Standards Referenced Across Files
| Standard | Academic | Practical | Consumer Apps | Professional | Market |
|---|
| FIPS 140-3 | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| TEMPEST/NSTISSAM | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | – |
| Common Criteria (EAL) | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| UN R155 / ISO 21434 | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ETSI EN 303 645 | – | – | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| NIST PQC standards | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ |
| ISO/IEC 17825 | – | – | – | ✓ | – |
Company ↔ Equipment File Alignment
| Company | Entry | Research | Professional |
|---|
| NewAE (ChipWhisperer) | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Great Scott Gadgets (HackRF) | – | ✓ | – |
| Nuand (BladeRF) | – | ✓ | – |
| Ettus/NI (USRP) | – | – | ✓ |
| Langer EMV | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Riscure | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keysight | – | – | ✓ |
Coursera Path → Practical Prerequisite Map
Phase 1: DSP Foundations
└→ electromagnetic-side-channel-practical-guide.md §2 (Signal Processing Pipeline)
└→ entry-level-em-sca-setup.md §2.3 (Signal Chain Calibration)
Phase 2: Hardware Security + Cryptography
└→ electromagnetic-side-channel-analysis.md §3–5 (Attack Methods, Case Studies)
└→ pqc-em-sca.md (Post-quantum vulnerabilities)
Phase 3: RF Engineering
└→ research-grade-em-sca-lab.md §1 (SDR Platform Comparison)
└→ professional-em-sca-facility.md §2 (Equipment Suite)
└→ tempest-standards-reference.md (RF emissions & zones)
Phase 4: ML for Signals
└→ electromagnetic-side-channel-practical-guide.md §3.2 (DL-based attacks)
└→ research-grade-em-sca-lab.md §3.4 (ML pipeline)
This index is auto-maintained. When adding new files, update the knowledge map and tables above.