side channel

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Definitions:

Allows an attacker to infer information about a secret by observing the nonfunctional characteristics of a program (e.g., execution time or memory) or measuring or exploiting the indirect coincidental effects of the system or its hardware (e.g., power consumption variation, electromagnetic emanations) while the program is executing. Most commonly, such attacks aim to exfiltrate sensitive information, including cryptographic keys.
Sources:
NIST AI 100-2e2025

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