A secure and authenticated host-to-memory communication interface

Abstract

Emerging non-volatile memories (NVMs) have the potential to change the memory-storage hierarchy in computing devices, and even to replace DRAM as main memories. In fact NVMs, beside offering byte-addressability and data persistence, promise better scalability and higher capacity than DRAM. However, from a security point of view, the persistent nature of emerging memories provides a larger time window to exfiltrate data from a device with respect to current DRAM-based main memories, and NVMs have in general lower write endurance than DRAM, thus requiring wear-out conscious encryption schemes. In this work we propose an architectural solution to secure non-volatile emerging memories, providing confidentiality, integrity and authenticity to the entire set of data, addresses and commands. Our solution relies on securing and authenticating the entire information transport between the host controller and the memory, enabling the storage of cleartext data inside the NVM. Such an approach allows to retain the advantage of differential write strategies without forsaking security. We validate our proposed architecture through the simulation of a set of software benchmarks on an embedded architecture, employing the gem5 trace-based architectural simulator.