Enabling hardware randomization across the cache hierarchy in Linux-Class processors

The most promising secure-cache design approaches use cache-set randomization to index cache contents thus thwarting cache side-channel attacks. Unfortunately, existing randomization proposals cannot be sucessfully applied to processors’ cache hierarchies due to the overhead added when dealing with coherency and virtual memory. In this paper, we solve existing limitations of hardware randomization approaches and propose a cost-effective randomization implementation to the whole cache hierarchy of a Linux-capable RISC-V processor.This work has been supported by the European HiPEAC Network of Excellence, by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (contract TIN2015-65316-P), and by Generalitat de Catalunya (contracts 2017-SGR-1414 and 2017- SGR-1328). The DRAC project is co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014-2020 with a grant of 50% of total cost eligible. We also thank Red-RISCV for the efforts to promote activities around open hardware. This work has received funding from the EU Horizon2020 programme under grant agreement no. 871467 (SELENE). M. Doblas has been partially supported by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Government of Catalonia under Beques de Col·laboració d’estudiants en departaments universitaris per al curs 2019- 2020. V. Kostalabros has been partially supported by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Government of Catalonia under Ajuts per a la contractació de personal investigador novell fellowship number 2019FI_ B01274. M. Moreto has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under Ramón y Cajal fellowship number RYC- 2016-21104.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version