A Design-Space Exploration for Allocating Security Tasks in Multicore Real-Time Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces HYDRA, a novel design space exploration algorithm for allocating security tasks in multicore real-time systems, ensuring security without disrupting real-time performance.

Contribution

HYDRA is the first approach to allocate security tasks in multicore RTS using opportunistic execution, maintaining system performance and security monitoring.

Findings

HYDRA effectively allocates security tasks without perturbing real-time tasks.

The approach maintains desired intrusion detection frequency.

Evaluation shows improved security task placement in multicore systems.

Abstract

The increased capabilities of modern real-time systems (RTS) expose them to various security threats. Recently, frameworks that integrate security tasks without perturbing the real-time tasks have been proposed, but they only target single core systems. However, modern RTS are migrating towards multicore platforms. This makes the problem of integrating security mechanisms more complex, as designers now have multiple choices for where to allocate the security tasks. In this paper we propose HYDRA, a design space exploration algorithm that finds an allocation of security tasks for multicore RTS using the concept of opportunistic execution. HYDRA allows security tasks to operate with existing real-time tasks without perturbing system parameters or normal execution patterns, while still meeting the desired monitoring frequency for intrusion detection. Our evaluation uses a representative real-time control system (along with synthetic task sets for a broader exploration) to illustrate the efficacy of HYDRA.