TWC: Small: Hardware Security for Embedded Computing Systems

嵌入式处理系统广泛应用于日常生活中必不可少的许多设备和系统中。这些嵌入式系统越来越多地连接到网络以进行控制和数据访问，这也使它们暴露于远程发起的恶意攻击。开发能够承受这些远程攻击的嵌入式处理系统，同时继续有效运行，这一点至关重要。由于嵌入式系统通常用于具有轻量级操作系统和有限的处理和功率资源的实时环境中，因此用于恶意软件检测的常规软件解决方案不适合于该领域。相反，需要专门针对嵌入式处理系统的架构解决方案。该项目开发了一个全面的攻击检测和缓解系统，该系统基于与嵌入式处理器位于同一位置的硬件监视器。硬件监视器跟踪处理器的操作，并将每个执行的指令与通过分析原始二进制文件创建的应用程序模型进行比较。由攻击引起的操作变化可以在一个周期内检测到，并且可以采取恢复步骤。所提出的系统不需要对处理器上运行的软件进行任何更改，并且不会导致处理速度的任何降低。该项目旨在实现嵌入式系统安全从基于软件的防御到基于硬件的防御的转型。这项研究的结果解决了当前的安全缺陷，并提供了使嵌入式处理器更具弹性的解决方案。

Embedded processing systems are widely used in many devices and systems that are essential for daily life. These embedded systems are increasingly connected to networks for control and data access, which also exposes them to remotely launched malicious attacks. It is of paramount importance to develop embedded processing systems that are hardened to withstand these remote attacks while continuing to operate effectively. Since embedded systems are often used in real-time environments with lightweight operating systems and limited processing and power resources, conventional software solutions for malware detection are not suitable in this domain. Instead, architectural solutions that are specialized to embedded processing systems are necessary. This project develops a comprehensive attack detection and mitigation system that is based on hardware monitors that are co-located with the embedded processor. The hardware monitor tracks the operation of the processor and compares each executed instruction with a model of the application that was created by analyzing the original binary. Changes in operation caused by an attack can be detected within one cycle, and recovery steps can be taken. The proposed system does not require any changes to the software running on the processor and does not cause any reduction in processing speed. This project aims to realize a transformational shift in embedded system security from software-based defenses to hardware-based defenses. The results from this research address current security shortcomings and provide solutions that make embedded processors more resilient.