Marking valid return targets

US10867031B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Gregory D. Hughes · Dale City, US
• Conrado Blasco · Sunnyvale, US
• Gerard R. Williams, III · Sunset Valley, US
• Jacques Anthony Vidrine · San Francisco, US
• Jeffry E. Gonion · Sunnyvale, US
• Timothy R. Paaske · Cupertino, US
• Tristan F. Schaap · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 23, 2015
• Grant date: Dec 15, 2020
• Expiry date: Aug 16, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F21/54
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable mediums for preventing return oriented programming (ROP) attacks. A compiler may insert landing pads adjacent to valid return targets in an instruction sequence. When a return instruction is executed, the processor may treat the return as suspicious if the target of the return instruction does not have an adjacent landing pad. Additionally, each landing pad may be encoded with a color, and a colored launch pad may be inserted into the instruction stream next to each return instruction. When a return instruction is executed, the processor may determine if the target of the return has a landing pad with the same color as the launch pad of the return instruction. Return-target pairs with color mismatches may be treated as suspicious and the offending process may be killed.