Wireless Network-on-Chip Security Review: Attack Taxonomy, Implications, and Countermeasures

Abstract

The Network-on-chip (NoC) technology emerged as an on-chip communication backbone for high-performance multi-core computing and network system architectures. This technology is becoming more widespread as several types of NoC platforms are constantly being introduced in the market. Wireless NoC technology has gained traction in recent years because of its ability to offer high bandwidth connectivity with improved energy efficiency. However, with the introduction of wireless interfaces, potential attack points on NoC have also proliferated, targeting confidentiality, integrity, and system availability. Although a number of research studies on NoC security have surfaced in the recent past, a comprehensive survey on the cause, impact, and mitigation of security attacks on wireless NoC is yet to be carried out. In this article, we conduct a detailed survey of the most recent advances and research activities in wireless NoC security by providing a comprehensive analysis, summary, and comparison of existing work in the area along with their limitations. We finally conclude this article with the future directions for further study.