Stack protection unit as a step towards securing MPSoCs

Abstract

Reconfigurable technologies are getting popular as an instrument not only for verification and prototyping but also for commercial implementation of Multi-Processor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) architectures. These systems, in particular Network-on-Chip (NoC) based ones, have emerged as a design strategy to cope with increased requirements and complexity of modern applications. However, the increasing heterogeneity, coupled with possibility of reconfiguration, makes security become one of major concerns in MPSoC design. In this work, we show a solution for FPGA based designs against one of the most widespread types of attacks - code injection. Our response to tackle this challenge is given in form of Stack Protection Unit (SPU) embedded into processing cores. MicroBlaze soft-core processor serves as a case study for verification of the proposed solution in FPGA technology.