Constant time analysis

Constant-Time Analysis

Analyze cryptographic code to detect operations that leak secret data through execution timing variations.

When to Use

User writing crypto code? ──yes──> Use this skill
         │
         no
         │
         v
User asking about timing attacks? ──yes──> Use this skill
         │
         no
         │
         v
Code handles secret keys/tokens? ──yes──> Use this skill
         │
         no
         │
         v
Skip this skill

Concrete triggers:

• User implements signature, encryption, or key derivation
• Code contains / or % operators on secret-derived values
• User mentions "constant-time", "timing attack", "side-channel", "KyberSlash"
• Reviewing functions named sign, verify, encrypt, decrypt, derive_key

When NOT to Use

• Non-cryptographic code (business logic, UI, etc.)
• Public data processing where timing leaks don't matter
• Code that doesn't handle secrets, keys, or authentication tokens
• High-level API usage where timing is handled by the library

Language Selection

Based on the file extension or language context, refer to the appropriate guide:

Language	File Extensions	Guide
C, C++	.c, .h, .cpp, .cc, .hpp	references/compiled.md
Go	.go	references/compiled.md
Rust	.rs	references/compiled.md
Swift	.swift	references/swift.md
Java	.java	references/vm-compiled.md
Kotlin	.kt, .kts	references/kotlin.md
C#	.cs	references/vm-compiled.md
PHP	.php	references/php.md
JavaScript	.js, .mjs, .cjs	references/javascript.md
TypeScript	.ts, .tsx	references/javascript.md
Python	.py	references/python.md
Ruby	.rb	references/ruby.md

Quick Start

# Analyze any supported file type
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py <source_file>

# Include conditional branch warnings
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --warnings <source_file>

# Filter to specific functions
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --func 'sign|verify' <source_file>

# JSON output for CI
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --json <source_file>

Native Compiled Languages Only (C, C++, Go, Rust)

# Cross-architecture testing (RECOMMENDED)
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --arch x86_64 crypto.c
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --arch arm64 crypto.c

# Multiple optimization levels
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --opt-level O0 crypto.c
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --opt-level O3 crypto.c

VM-Compiled Languages (Java, Kotlin, C#)

# Analyze Java bytecode
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py CryptoUtils.java

# Analyze Kotlin bytecode (Android/JVM)
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py CryptoUtils.kt

# Analyze C# IL
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py CryptoUtils.cs

Note: Java, Kotlin, and C# compile to bytecode (JVM/CIL) that runs on a virtual machine with JIT compilation. The analyzer examines the bytecode directly, not the JIT-compiled native code. The --arch and --opt-level flags do not apply to these languages.

Swift (iOS/macOS)

# Analyze Swift for native architecture
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py crypto.swift

# Analyze for specific architecture (iOS devices)
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --arch arm64 crypto.swift

# Analyze with different optimization levels
uv run {baseDir}/ct_analyzer/analyzer.py --opt-level O0 crypto.swift

Note: Swift compiles to native code like C/C++/Go/Rust, so it uses assembly-level analysis and supports --arch and --opt-level flags.

Prerequisites

Language	Requirements
C, C++, Go, Rust	Compiler in PATH (gcc/clang, go, rustc)
Swift	Xcode or Swift toolchain (swiftc in PATH)
Java	JDK with javac and javap in PATH
Kotlin	Kotlin compiler (kotlinc) + JDK (javap) in PATH
C#	.NET SDK + ilspycmd (dotnet tool install -g ilspycmd)
PHP	PHP with VLD extension or OPcache
JavaScript/TypeScript	Node.js in PATH
Python	Python 3.x in PATH
Ruby	Ruby with --dump=insns support

macOS users: Homebrew installs Java and .NET as "keg-only". You must add them to your PATH:

# For Java (add to ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@21/bin:$PATH"

# For .NET tools (add to ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="$HOME/.dotnet/tools:$PATH"

See references/vm-compiled.md for detailed setup instructions and troubleshooting.

Quick Reference

Problem	Detection	Fix
Division on secrets	DIV, IDIV, SDIV, UDIV	Barrett reduction or multiply-by-inverse
Branch on secrets	JE, JNE, BEQ, BNE	Constant-time selection (cmov, bit masking)
Secret comparison	Early-exit memcmp	Use crypto/subtle or constant-time compare
Weak RNG	rand(), mt_rand, Math.random	Use crypto-secure RNG
Table lookup by secret	Array subscript on secret index	Bit-sliced lookups

Interpreting Results

PASSED - No variable-time operations detected.

FAILED - Dangerous instructions found. Example:

[ERROR] SDIV
  Function: decompose_vulnerable
  Reason: SDIV has early termination optimization; execution time depends on operand values

Verifying Results (Avoiding False Positives)

CRITICAL: Not every flagged operation is a vulnerability. The tool has no data flow analysis - it flags ALL potentially dangerous operations regardless of whether they involve secrets.

For each flagged violation, ask: Does this operation's input depend on secret data?

1. Identify the secret inputs to the function (private keys, plaintext, signatures, tokens)

2. Trace data flow from the flagged instruction back to inputs

3. Common false positive patterns:

   // FALSE POSITIVE: Division uses public constant, not secret
   int num_blocks = data_len / 16;  // data_len is length, not content
   
   // TRUE POSITIVE: Division involves secret-derived value
   int32_t q = secret_coef / GAMMA2;  // secret_coef from private key
   

4. Document your analysis for each flagged item

Quick Triage Questions

Question	If Yes	If No
Is the operand a compile-time constant?	Likely false positive	Continue
Is the operand a public parameter (length, count)?	Likely false positive	Continue
Is the operand derived from key/plaintext/secret?	TRUE POSITIVE	Likely false positive
Can an attacker influence the operand value?	TRUE POSITIVE	Likely false positive

Limitations

1. Static Analysis Only: Analyzes assembly/bytecode, not runtime behavior. Cannot detect cache timing or microarchitectural side-channels.

2. No Data Flow Analysis: Flags all dangerous operations regardless of whether they process secrets. Manual review required.

3. Compiler/Runtime Variations: Different compilers, optimization levels, and runtime versions may produce different output.

Real-World Impact

• KyberSlash (2023): Division instructions in post-quantum ML-KEM implementations allowed key recovery
• Lucky Thirteen (2013): Timing differences in CBC padding validation enabled plaintext recovery
• RSA Timing Attacks: Early implementations leaked private key bits through division timing

References

• Cryptocoding Guidelines - Defensive coding for crypto
• KyberSlash - Division timing in post-quantum crypto
• BearSSL Constant-Time - Practical constant-time techniques