Multiprocessor system-on-chip for processing data in cloud computing

Abstract

Cloud computing enables cloud customers to obtain shared processing resources and data on demand. Cloud providers configure computing resources to provide different services to users and enterprises. These cloud providers satisfy the need for highperformance computing by bringing more PEs inside a chip (known as Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC)) instead of increasing operating frequency. An MPSoC usually employs Network-on-Chip (NoC) as the scalable on-chip communication medium. An MPSoC can contain multiple Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and Rich Execution Environments (REEs). Security critical applications run in TEEs and normal applications run in REEs. Due to sharing of resources (for example, NoC) in cloud computing, applications running in two TEEs may need to communicate over an REE that is running applications of a malicious user (attacker). This scenario can cause unauthorized access attack if the attacker launches router attack inside the NoC. Apart from this attack, an attacker can also launch misrouting attack using router attack causing various types of ill effects. To deal with these security concerns, we discuss in detail different hardware-based security mechanisms. These mechanisms mainly employ monitoring to detect a router attack and possibly a malicious router location. The hardware-based mechanisms can provide much-needed protection to users' data in a cloud computing MPSoC platform. Apart from the threat model with practical examples, detailed hardware description of each security mechanism is given in this chapter for easy understanding of the readers.