Special Session: Detecting and Defending Vulnerabilities in Heterogeneous and Monolithic Systems: Current Strategies and Future Directions
Venkat Nitin Patnala, Sai Manoj Pudukotai Dinakarrao, Guru Venkataramani, Jie Chen, Preet Derasari, Milos I. Doroslovacki, Fan Yao, Hongyu Fang, Meron Zerihun Demissie, Todd M. Austin, Lauren Biernacki, Saket Upadhyay, Arnabjyoti Kalita, Ashish Venkat · 2024
Embedded systems are evolving in complexity, leading to the emergence of multiple threats. The co-design and execution of software on the embedded systems further exacerbate the attack surface, making them more vulnerable to sophisticated attacks. As embedded systems are used in critical areas, ensuring their security is crucial. In this special session paper, primarily four major topics regarding embedded systems’ security are discussed. Firstly, this paper initially explores timing channel analysis at a microarchitectural level in heterogeneous hardware to address the security challenges. It then delves into exploring software-based fuzzing techniques to detect vulnerabilities and enhance embedded system security. Additionally, the paper discusses strategies for improving security in IoT devices with a layered defense strategy known as Snowflake IoT. Finally, it examines approaches to securing large and complex monolithic systems. The challenges and opportunities for securing the embedded systems according to the scale and type of attacks.