NSF Award
2423249
Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) used in computing systems is subject to data imprinting, where information stored in the memory persists even beyond the lifetime of system use. Data imprinting effects on commercial SRAM pose a significant security risk for modern computing systems. These effects can cause the persistence of sensitive information in memory beyond its intended use. For instance, when electronic systems are discarded, there is a noteworthy chance that the SRAM memory remains operational, creating a risk of leaking previously stored sensitive information and leading to unauthorized access and compromise. This underscores the critical necessity for implementing robust sanitization measures to securely dispose of electronic systems and mitigate the potential risks associated with the persistence of sensitive information in SRAM memory. This research project investigates the potential of data retrieval from used SRAM chips that have been discarded without awareness of the threat of sensitive information recovery. The team has demonstrated that the information imprinted on these chips is long lasting, underscoring the need for thorough data sanitization to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, the project develops a novel data sanitization technique for SRAM memories that will benefit consumers, industry, and government alike by ensuring that deleted data is not recoverable at any time during the product’s life cycle. A direct outcome of this project is training two graduate students in the important area of hardware-oriented security and radiation effects on microelectronics.<br/> <br/>Recent studies have demonstrated that data imprinting effects influence the power-up state of an uninitialized SRAM array, potentially enabling adversaries to recover sensitive information. The project focuses on an in-depth analysis of the security threats posed by SRAM data imprinting effects. The team focuses on the real-world scenarios where attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, manipulate sensitive data, or launch other malicious activities. Additionally, the project explores new, cost-effective data sanitization techniques tailored for SRAM memories. Overall, the project characterizes the effectiveness of data recovery from SRAM memory under various usage conditions. The team evaluates the efficiency of data recovery techniques on different types of SRAM memories across diverse technology nodes and develops cost-effective techniques for data sanitization utilizing high-energy irradiation. Experimental assessment is performed to examine the effectiveness and resilience of these techniques against resourceful malicious data recovery efforts across a range of operating conditions.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
