Processor trace-based enforcement of control flow integrity of a computer system
US10896253B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 2, 2018 |
| Grant date | Jan 19, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 7, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2221/033
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer processing node is described that is configured to perform a control flow integrity (CFI) method on a protected process operating on the processing node. The CFI method includes intercepting a system call originating from execution of the protected process executing in the runtime environment. A fast path operating within a kernel of the computer system accesses, from a kernel memory, a processor trace packet corresponding to the system call. The fast path attempts to establish a match between the processor trace packet and a program control flow (edge) entry within a credit-labeled control flow graph (CFG) definition having an associated credit value. The credit value represents a degree to which the program control flow is credible. Thereafter, the method further includes invoking, after the matching, a slow path for further processing of the processor trace packet if the associated credit value does not meet a specified threshold, and otherwise provide an indication to permit execution of the system call.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.