Software-Hardware Binding for Protection of Sensitive Data in Embedded Software

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11727v1
• Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:33:42 GMT
• Title: Software-Hardware Binding for Protection of Sensitive Data in Embedded Software
• Abstract summary: We present a novel protection mechanism that combines hardware fingerprints with Boolean logic.<n>Unlike usual copy-protection approaches, unauthorised copies of the software still run on cloned devices but suboptimally.<n>Our approach does not require additional hardware, relying only on relatively simple updates to the software.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Abstract: Embedded software used in industrial systems frequently relies on data that ensures the correct and efficient operation of these systems. Thus, companies invest considerable resources in fine-tuning this data, making it their valuable intellectual property (IP). We present a novel protection mechanism for this IP that combines hardware fingerprints with Boolean logic. Unlike usual copy-protection approaches, unauthorised copies of the software still run on cloned devices but suboptimally. According to our security evaluation, only a complex dynamic analysis of the protected software running on the genuine target device can reveal the secret data. This makes the protection offered by our method more difficult to bypass. Notably, our approach does not require additional hardware, relying only on relatively simple updates to the software. We evaluate our protection mechanism by binding the parameters of a PID controller to a microcontroller unit (MCU) by using a physically unclonable function (PUF) based on its SRAM.

Related papers

• Lens Privacy Sealing: A New Benchmark and Method for Physical Privacy-Preserving Action Recognition [45.858644584022635]
  RGB camera-based surveillance systems enable human action recognition for public safety and healthcare.<n>Existing methods rely on post-capture algorithms, which fail to protect privacy during data acquisition.<n>We propose Lens Privacy Sealing (LPS), a simple hardware solution that physically obscures camera lenses with adjustable film.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-05-19T09:21:57Z)
• An Approach for Safe and Secure Software Protection Supported by Symbolic Execution [1.5721850801772976]
  We introduce a novel copy-protection method for industrial control software.<n>With our method, a program executes correctly only on its target hardware and behaves differently on other machines.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-11T10:14:37Z)
• Trust Nothing: RTOS Security without Run-Time Software TCB (Extended Version) [3.6676516275835165]
  We present a token capability approach suitable for building an untrusted operating system with protection against malicious devices.<n>We present a soft real-time operating system based on Zephyr that has no run-time software TCB.<n>Our work offers a foundation for more rigorous security-by-design in tomorrow's security-critical embedded devices.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-09T13:59:27Z)
• GNN-Based Code Annotation Logic for Establishing Security Boundaries in C Code [41.10157750103835]
  Securing sensitive operations in today's interconnected software landscape is crucial yet challenging. Modern platforms rely on Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to isolate security sensitive code from the main system. Code Logic (CAL) is a pioneering tool that automatically identifies security sensitive components for TEE isolation.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-11-18T13:40:03Z)
• The Impact of SBOM Generators on Vulnerability Assessment in Python: A Comparison and a Novel Approach [56.4040698609393]
  Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) has been promoted as a tool to increase transparency and verifiability in software composition. Current SBOM generation tools often suffer from inaccuracies in identifying components and dependencies. We propose PIP-sbom, a novel pip-inspired solution that addresses their shortcomings.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-09-10T10:12:37Z)
• VeriSplit: Secure and Practical Offloading of Machine Learning Inferences across IoT Devices [31.247069150077632]
  Many Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices rely on cloud computation resources to perform machine learning inferences.<n>This is expensive and may raise privacy concerns for users.<n>We propose VeriSplit, a framework for offloading machine learning inferences to locally-available devices.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-06-02T01:28:38Z)
• SoK: Where's the "up"?! A Comprehensive (bottom-up) Study on the Security of Arm Cortex-M Systems [36.154629422941774]
  Arm Cortex-M processors are the most widely used 32-bit microcontrollers among embedded and Internet-of-Things devices. We analyze the hardware security limitations and issues of Cortex-M systems. We categorize the reported bugs in Cortex-M software systems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-01-27T04:09:29Z)
• RIPencapsulation: Defeating IP Encapsulation on TI MSP Devices [6.4241197750493475]
  This paper uncovers two fundamental weaknesses in IP Encapsulation (IPE), the TEE deployed by Texas Instruments for MSP430 and MSP432 devices. We implement an attack called RIPencapsulation, which executes portions of code within the IPE and uses the partial state revealed through the register file to exfiltrate secret data.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-25T08:00:59Z)
• DASICS White Paper: Enhancing Memory Protection with Dynamic Compartmentalization [7.552283050007595]
  We present the DASICS (Dynamic in-Address-Space Isolation by Code Segments) secure processor design.<n>It offers dynamic and flexible security protection across multiple privilege levels, addressing data flow protection, control flow protection, and secure system calls.<n>We have implemented hardware FPGA prototypes and software QEMU simulator prototypes based on DASICS, along with necessary modifications to system software for adaptability.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-10T09:05:29Z)
• Hardware Architecture for a Quantum Computer Trusted Execution Environment [7.9098355641304865]
  Cloud-based environments in which today's and future quantum computers will operate raise concerns about the security and privacy of user's intellectual property. This work presented the first hardware architecture for a trusted execution environment for quantum computers.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-08-07T20:18:36Z)
• A survey on hardware-based malware detection approaches [45.24207460381396]
  Hardware-based malware detection approaches leverage hardware performance counters and machine learning prowess. We meticulously analyze the approach, unraveling the most common methods, algorithms, tools, and datasets that shape its contours. The discussion extends to crafting mixed hardware and software approaches for collaborative efficacy, essential enhancements in hardware monitoring units, and a better understanding of the correlation between hardware events and malware applications.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-03-22T13:00:41Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.