User mode heap swapping
View Patent ↗In an example, there is disclosed a computing apparatus, including a processor, including a trusted execution instruction set; a memory having an enclave portion, wherein the enclave is accessible only via the trusted execution instruction set; a swap file; and a memory management engine operable to: allocate a buffer within the enclave; receive a scope directive to indicate that the buffer is in scope; and protect the buffer from swapping to the swap file while the buffer is in scope. There is further disclosed an method of providing a memory management engine, and one or more computer-readable storage mediums having stored thereon executable instructions for providing the memory management engine.
1. A computing apparatus, comprising:
a processor to provide a trusted execution instruction set;
a memory having an enclave portion, wherein the enclave is accessible only via the trusted execution instruction set;
a swap file; and
one or more logic elements comprising a memory management engine operable to:
allocate a buffer within the enclave;
receive a scope directive to indicate that the buffer is in scope; and
protect the buffer from swapping to the swap file while the buffer is in scope.
2. The computing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to detect that the buffer is out of scope, and to enable swapping of the buffer to the swap file.
3. The computing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to swap the buffer to the swap file.
4. The computing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein swapping the buffer to the swap file comprises encrypting the buffer.
5. The computing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to:
determine that the buffer has been swapped to the swap file; and
retrieve the buffer from the swap file.
6. The computing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein retrieving the buffer from the swap file comprises decrypting the buffer.
7. The computing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory management engine comprises a framework.
8. The computing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the framework is configured to encapsulate a pointer to the buffer.
9. The computing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein encapsulating the pointer to the buffer comprises determining that the pointer previously pointed to a first memory location, determining that after having been swapped the pointer now points to a second memory location different from the first memory location, and updating the pointer to point to the second memory location.
10. The computing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory management engine is further operable to determine that the buffer was tampered with while swapped, and acting on the determining.
11. The computing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein acting on the determining comprises taking a security action.
12. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the security action is selected from the group consisting of crashing the application, throwing an exception, and reporting the tampering.
13. The computing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory management engine is further operable to allocate a plurality of heaps.
14. One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums having stored thereon executable instructions for providing a memory management engine for a memory enclave accessible only via a trusted execution instruction set, the memory management engine operable to:
allocate a buffer within the enclave;
receive a scope directive to indicate that the buffer is in scope; and protect the buffer from swapping to a swap file while the buffer is in scope.
15. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 14 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to detect that the buffer is out of scope, and to enable swapping of the buffer to the swap file.
16. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 15 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to swap the buffer to the swap file.
17. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 16 , wherein swapping the buffer to the swap file comprises encrypting the buffer.
18. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 15 , wherein the memory management engine is operable to:
determine that the buffer has been swapped to the swap file; and
retrieve the buffer from the swap file.
19. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 18 , wherein retrieving the buffer from the swap file comprises decrypting the buffer.
20. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 14 , wherein the memory management engine comprises a framework.
21. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 20 , wherein the framework is configured to encapsulate a pointer to the buffer.
22. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 21 , wherein encapsulating the pointer to the buffer comprises determining that the pointer previously pointed to a first memory location, determining that after having been swapped the pointer now points to a second memory location different from the first memory location, and updating the pointer to point to the second memory location.
23. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums of claim 14 , wherein the memory management engine is further operable to determine that the buffer was tampered with while swapped, and taking a security action.
24. A method of providing a memory management engine for a memory enclave accessible only via a trusted execution instruction set, comprising:
allocating a buffer within the enclave;
receiving a scope directive to indicate that the buffer is in scope; and
protecting the buffer from swapping to a swap file while the buffer is in scope.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising detecting that the buffer is out of scope, and enabling swapping of the buffer to the swap file.