Saudi NCA National Cryptographic Standards (NCS-1:2020) 7.3: Side-channel resistance: certified hardware for secret keys, laboratory analysis and MAC-then-verify

What does 7.3 require?

To limit side-channel attacks (power, electromagnetic and timing analysis), cryptographic operations protecting secret and private keys must run inside certified hardware such as smart cards, the effects of side channels on those components must be analysed thoroughly in a specialised laboratory during development, and ciphertexts must be protected by a MAC and verified before any other cryptographic operation. Implementations should minimise side-channel signal-to-noise and remove correlation between secret key bits and observable signals, for example with dummy operations, after a review of the relevant threat scenarios.