A Low-Latency Optimization of a Rust-Based Secure Operating System for Embedded Devices

Abstract

Critical systems such as drone control or power grid control applications rely on embedded devices capable of a real-time response. While much research and advancements have been made to implement low-latency and real-time characteristics, the security aspect has been left aside. All current real-time operating systems available for industrial embedded devices are implemented in the C programming language, which makes them prone to memory safety issues. As a response to this, Tock, an innovative secure operating system for embedded devices written completely in Rust, has recently appeared. The only downside of Tock is that it lacks the low-latency real-time component. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to leverage the extended Berkeley Packet Filter technology used for efficient network traffic processing and to add the low-latency capability to Tock. The result is a secure low-latency operating system for embedded devices and microcontrollers capable of handling interrupts at latencies as low as 60 µs.

Keywords

• embedded
• security
• real-time
• low-latency
• eBPF
• rust