A Survey of DMFBs Security: State-of-the-Art Attack and Defense

Chen Dong1, Lingqing Liu1, Huangda Liu1, Wenzhong Guo1, Xing Huang2, Sihuang Lian1, Ximeng Liu1, Tsung-Yi Ho2
1Fuzhou University, 2National Tsing Hua University


Abstract

The digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) have the advantages of high precision, small consumption of samples/reagents, and high flexibility in experimental places. In the future, they are expected to be applied in many fields and will facilitate people’s daily life. However, similar to the situation faced in integrated circuits, DMFBs also suffer from various security risks and end users usually know little about these security threats. Accordingly, in this paper, we propose a survey on DMFBs security. First, we present an overview of the attack behaviors in DMFBs and list them according to the manufacturing process. Then, we outline the current defense techniques and classify them into several categories according their corresponding purposes and functions. Finally, the comparison between security threats faced in DMFBs and the corresponding defense techniques is provided and analyzed in detail, thus presenting the future research trends in DMFBs security.