A Taxonomy-Based Survey of EM-SCA and Implications for Multi-Robot Systems

Electromagnetic Side Channel Analysis (EM-SCA) is a major area of interest within the field of cybersecurity. EM-SCA makes use of the electromagnetic radiation that naturally leaks from any device that runs on electricity. Information about the observed device can be gained by gathering and analysing these electromagnetic traces. Numerous studies have demonstrated the applicability of this side channel in various environments for legal and illegal objectives. On the other hand, multi-robot systems, including swarm robotics, have received considerable attention in recent years due to their ability to conduct complex tasks using simple robots cooperating with each other. Although multi-robot and swarm robot systems are likely to be widely used in practical applications in the near future, security concerns in this context have not yet received enough attention. In particular, to the best of our knowledge, EM-SCA threats and benefits have never been thoroughly examined in this context before. In order to spotlight this matter, this work begins with a thorough introduction to EM-SCA and provides a taxonomic structure. Then, guided by this taxonomy, we present a range of EM-SCA scenarios that need to be considered in multi-robot applications.