Thermal Side-Channel Threats in Densely Integrated Microarchitectures: A Comprehensive Review for Cyber-Physical...

Area of Science:

• Computer Engineering
• Cybersecurity
• Microelectronics

Background:

• Densely integrated microarchitectures (3D-ICs, chiplets, SiP) elevate thermal leakage from a reliability to a security concern.
• Thermal side-channel attacks (TSCAs) exploit heat emissions for potential data breaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of TSCAs on modern microarchitectures.
• To systematize threat models, observation vectors, and defense strategies.
• To underscore the significance of thermal security in cyber-physical systems (CPS).

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and consolidation of existing research on TSCAs.
• Analysis of credible evidence from the past decade.
• Categorization of hardware-software defenses against thermal leakage.

Main Results:

• Identified and systematized various TSCAs, their attack vectors, and threat models.
• Compared the effectiveness of different defense mechanisms across the hardware-software stack.
• Highlighted the integral role of thermal hardening in CPS security.

Conclusions:

• Heat management is a crucial aspect of microelectronic security, not just reliability.
• Further research into thermal leakage defenses is essential for next-generation cybersecurity.
• This review serves as a foundational map for future work in TSCAs and CPS security.