\chapter{Timetable}\label{chap:timetable}
The planned work is segmented into three main parts: finishing the \gls{dsd}, building the data acquisition system and building to algorithm for the single-source multi-measure system, and setting up an experiment for the multi-source single-measure system.
Each of these three parts has its own specificities and challenges that call for careful planning.

\section{Fall 2023}
This term will have a dual goal.
On one hand, several articles compiling the initial results from the first two years of work will be presented at different conferences.
On the other, the design and capture for the single-source multi-measure problem will begin.
The current capture system is composed of a box placed in series with the machine to monitor.
This system is reliable and serves its purpose perfectly, but it is not possible to fit in a more constrained space or able to measure multiple consumptions at once.
The single-source multi-measure system aims for integration in the machine with minimal modification to allow for easy \textit{drop-in} installation.
The goal could be a computer's \gls{psu} or an external box with multiple measurement systems.
In any case, the design and prototyping of this new measurement system is an important part of the single-source multi-measure system.

\section{Winter 2024}
Winter 2024 will be dedicated to designing and evaluating the single-source multi-measure system.
This work's challenge is enabling the processing of multi-variate time series to yield better results.
The system's performances will be put in perspective with the capabilities of the \gls{dsd} (single-source single-measure).
A series of experiments will also provide a complementary evaluation of the performances of these new techniques.
The experiments will be collected in a paper with a publication aimed at the next term.

\section{Spring 2024}
After evaluating the single-source multi-measure system, a paper will summarize the findings and present the solution.
This term will also be dedicated to beginning the design of the multi-source single-measure system.
For this third system, the capture system is already available.
The workload is mainly centred on the design of the processing algorithm.

\section{Complementary Projects}
Although it is difficult to plan work after one year, there are some complementary projects that are worth exploring.

\textbf{Cover Channel:}
Some work in the literature explored the potential of power consumption as a covert channel.
This application complements the defense work that this thesis focuses on.
As an attacker trying to exfiltrate information from a machine, understanding the method of generating meaningful power consumption patterns is crucial.
This work provides insights into how different applications generate specific consumption patterns.
A 1b/s covert channel already successfully extracted a private ECDSA SSH key through AC/DC transformers with an MSSM setup.
The improved capabilities of this covert channel will serve as a complementary project for this thesis.

\textbf{Specific Activities Detection:}
Some user's activities carry so many potential threats that detecting them more rapidly is interesting.
For example, plugging in a USB device is an entry point for many attacks \cite{cannoles2017hacking, NISSIM2017675, su2017usb}.
Fortunately, USB devices have a direct impact on the power consumption of a machine as they draw their power from the host.
Detecting this specific event enables the collection of trusted logs useful for forensics or log verification tasks.
The current work on this problem is exploring signal processing methods to build a reliable detector with the least false positive rate while still detecting all USB events.
This problem is complementary to the more general pattern detection problem that this thesis explores as a reduction to practice that, once again, provides a better understanding of the variety of patterns present in a power consumption trace.


\section{Alternative Courses of Action}
Many unforeseen events can disturb a research plan spanning multiple years.
Although it is impossible to plan an alternative course of action for each case, here are some ways to continue this thesis under different conditions.

\textbf{Pandemic or Global Lockdown Situation:}
The recent years reminded us that a global lockdown can become a necessity in a matter of months.
Without access to the university, the work of this thesis remains possible.
Thanks to the great work of all the people at Palitronica Inc., the capture system is now a robust product deployable anywhere with an internet connection.
Many experiments were already performed outside of the lab, and it is even possible to store data on-premise for complete offline work.
I already experienced this situation in 2020 when the university closed, and I continued to work at home with some lab equipment.
The xPSU project was entirely developed off-campus.

\textbf{Unconvincing Results:}
The first results of the SSSM problem are encouraging for the exploration of MSSM and SSMM problems.
However, some unforeseen discoveries could force us to reevaluate the potential of this technology.
As presented before, there are plenty of alternative routes to explore for physics-based \glspl{ids}.
First, there is room for improving the performance of the SSSM detector.
A better accuracy, a greater number of states, a lower training requirement or higher time efficiency, are all valuable improvements to pursue.
Second, the range of machines that can benefit from this technology is wide.
Experimentations with different machines for different use cases can reveal unknown specific challenges.
Finally, complementary projects such as the xPSU, the covert channel, or the specific activity detectors are all interesting projects that would undoubtedly reveal new problems to explore.

%There is no lack of interesting problems to study in the field of physics-based cyber-security.

\section{Publications}

From the current work, multiple articles have been submitted for publication.

\begin{itemize}
    \item The initial results of the exploration of the \gls{eet} technology were compiled in a paper presented in the MLCS workshop of the ECML-PKDD conference \cite{eet1_mlcs}.

    \item The resutls of the \gls{bpv} were detailed in a work-in-progress paper presented in EMSOFT 2021 \cite{grisel2022work}.
To complete the findings of this first paper, more experiments were conducted on a wider variety of machines and exploring diverse optimization techniques.
        A workshop paper compiling these new findings was accepted for QRS 2023 \cite{bpv_qrs}.

    \item Also accepted for QRS 2023, an article about \gls{dsd} details the capabilities of the method to detect cybersecurity policies violation \cite{dsd_qrs}.
\end{itemize}

