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Security RBSG: Protecting Phase Change Memory with Security-Level Adjustable Dynamic Mapping

  • Fangting Huang
  • , Dan Feng*
  • , Wen Xia
  • , Wen Zhou
  • , Yucheng Zhang
  • , Min Fu
  • , Chuntao Jiang
  • , Yukun Zhou
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

As an emerging memory technology to build the future main memory systems, Phase Change Memory (PCM) can increase memory capacity in a cost-effective and power-efficient way. However, PCM is facing security threats for its limited write endurance: a malicious adversary could wear out the cells and cause the whole PCM system to fail within a short period of time. To address this issue, several wear-leveling schemes have been proposed to evenly distribute write traffic in a security-aware manner. In this work, we present a new type of timing attacknamed Remapping Timing Attack (RTA), based on the asymmetry in write time of PCM. Our analysis and experimental results show that the new revealed RTA can make two state-of-the-art wear-leveling schemes (Region Based Start-Gap and Security Refresh) lose effectiveness, failing PCM with these two techniques in several days (even minutes). In order to defend such attack, we further propose a novel wear-leveling scheme called Security Region Based Start-Gap (Security RBSG), which employs a two-stage strategy and uses a dynamic Feistel Network to enhance the simple Start-Gap wear leveling with level-adjustable security assurance. The theoretical analysis and evaluation results show that the proposed Security RBSG is the most robust wear-leveling methodology so far, which not only better defends the new RTA, but also performs well on the traditional malicious attacks, i.e., Repeated Address Attack and Birthday Paradox Attack.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - 2016 IEEE 30th International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, IPDPS 2016
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages1081-1090
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781509021406
DOIs
StatePublished - 18 Jul 2016
Externally publishedYes
Event30th IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, IPDPS 2016 - Chicago, United States
Duration: 23 May 201627 May 2016

Publication series

NameProceedings - 2016 IEEE 30th International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, IPDPS 2016
ISSN (Electronic)1530-2075

Conference

Conference30th IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, IPDPS 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChicago
Period23/05/1627/05/16

Keywords

  • Endurance
  • Phase Change Memory
  • Timing Attack
  • Wear Leveling

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