17849351. CONTROL FLOW INTEGRITY TO PREVENT POTENTIAL LEAKAGE OF SENSITIVE DATA TO ADVERSARIES simplified abstract (Intel Corporation)

CONTROL FLOW INTEGRITY TO PREVENT POTENTIAL LEAKAGE OF SENSITIVE DATA TO ADVERSARIES

Organization Name

Intel Corporation

Inventor(s)

Scott D. Constable of Portland OR (US)

Joao Batista Correa Gomes Moreira of Hillsboro OR (US)

Alyssa A. Milburn of Den Haag (NL)

Ke Sun of Portland OR (US)

Michael Lemay of Hillsboro OR (US)

David M. Durham of Beaverton OR (US)

Joseph Nuzman of Haifa (IL)

Jason W. Brandt of Austin TX (US)

Anders Fogh of Luenen (DE)

CONTROL FLOW INTEGRITY TO PREVENT POTENTIAL LEAKAGE OF SENSITIVE DATA TO ADVERSARIES - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17849351 titled 'CONTROL FLOW INTEGRITY TO PREVENT POTENTIAL LEAKAGE OF SENSITIVE DATA TO ADVERSARIES

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a patent application that focuses on detecting and handling indirect branches in computer program code. Here is a simplified explanation of the abstract:

• The patent application proposes a method for detecting indirect branches in computer program code.
• An indirect branch is a type of instruction that calls one of several functions using a specific register.
• The method involves augmenting the code to store an identifier of the indirect branch call in a different register.
• Additionally, the code for each function is modified to check if its identifier matches the one stored in the register.
• If the identifiers do not match, the first register used for the indirect branch call is rendered unusable.

Potential Applications:

• This technology can be applied in various software development environments.
• It can be used in optimizing compilers to improve code performance and efficiency.
• It can be utilized in security systems to detect and prevent certain types of attacks.

Problems Solved:

• Indirect branches in computer program code can be challenging to handle efficiently.
• The proposed method solves the problem of identifying and managing indirect branches in a more streamlined manner.
• It helps ensure that the correct functions are called and prevents potential errors or vulnerabilities.

Benefits:

• The method improves the overall performance and efficiency of computer program code.
• It enhances the security of software systems by preventing unauthorized or incorrect function calls.
• It simplifies the development process by providing a standardized approach to handling indirect branches.

Original Abstract Submitted

In one embodiment, an indirect branch is detected in computer program code. The indirect branch calls one of a plurality of functions using a first register. In response, the computer program code is augmented to store an identifier of the indirect branch call in a second register, and the code for each of the plurality of functions is augmented to: determine whether an identifier for the function matches the identifier stored in the second register and render the first register unusable if the identifier for the function does not match the identifier stored in the second register.