Physical Attack Surface

Definition ∞ The physical attack surface refers to the aggregate of all physical points on a device or system that an attacker can directly interact with to attempt a security breach. This includes hardware ports, exposed circuitry, memory chips, and any accessible components that could be manipulated or exploited. Reducing this surface is a key objective in designing secure hardware, particularly for devices storing cryptographic keys. It represents the tangible entry points for physical intrusion.
Context ∞ The physical attack surface is a critical consideration in the security design of hardware wallets and secure computing modules used for digital assets. News often covers advancements in tamper-resistant packaging and secure manufacturing processes aimed at minimizing these physical vulnerabilities. The ongoing challenge involves protecting devices from sophisticated laboratory attacks, such as fault injection or micro-probing, which can bypass conventional software security.