Real time detection of cache-based side-channel attacks using hardware performance counters

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2016.09.014

In this paper we analyze three methods to detect cache-based side-channel attacks in real time, preventing or limiting the amount of leaked information. Two of the three methods are based on machine learning techniques and all the three of them can successfully detect an attack in about one fifth of the time required to complete it. We could not experience the presence of false positives in our test environment and the overhead caused by the detection systems is negligible. We also analyze how the detection systems behave with a modified version of one of the spy processes. With some optimization we are confident these systems can be used in real world scenarios.