In a method for protecting an exponentiation calculation by means of the Chinese remainder theorem, in particular the combining step (16), wherein the Garner combination algorithm is preferably used, is verified for its correctness prior to outputting (24) the results of the combining step (18). In doing so, the combination algorithm is verified directly prior to outputting the result of the exponentiation calculation, so as to eliminate the outputs of an incorrect result, for example due to a hardware error attack, so as to ward off the error attack.