Timing Attack in Named Data Networking: A Survey

Abstract

Information-centric Networking (ICN) has garnered notable examination from scholars and industry practitioners alike. In ICN, content caching is fundamental for enhancing security and optimizing data transmission. However, cache privacy becomes a concern due to potential timing attacks that can exploit cache access patterns. This paper investigates various techniques to mitigate timing attacks in ICN, categorizing them into delay-based, detection-based, and caching-based approaches. Each technique offers unique strengths and vulnerabilities. By analyzing existing literature and research trends, we highlight a clear view of how ICN cache privacy continues to evolve and identifies ongoing challenges and open issues in this domain. Through comprehensive exploration and evaluation of mitigation strategies, this survey paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of cache privacy preservation in ICN architectures. We outline future research paths and marks the barriers that still stand in the way of stronger ICN cache privacy.