Secured execution context data

Abstract

There is disclosed a circuit for monitoring the security of a processor. The circuit is configured to access a memory configured to store execution context data of a software program executed by the processor; to determine one or more signatures from said execution context data; and to compare said signatures with predefined signatures to monitor the security of the processor (110). Developments describe that context data can comprise control flow data, that a signature can comprise a hash value or a similarity signature, or that the integrity of signatures can be verified for example by usinga secret key (e.g. obtained by random, or by using a physically unclonable function). Further developments describe various controls or retroactions on the processor, as well as various countermeasures if cyber attacks are determined.

Description

technical field [0001] This patent relates to the field of digital data processing, and more specifically, to the field of secure processors. Background technique [0002] Embedded systems face an ever-increasing risk of cyber-attacks attempting to gain control of the host device. Various existing approaches to securing embedded systems are described. [0003] Antivirus software only partially protects the system. Such systems rely on the assumption that a certain signature of malware code can be found to identify its presence. Corresponding peer-to-peer mode solutions may be performed too late, for example, after the system has been compromised, since malware code is sometimes only identified as a result of a successful attack. Furthermore, antivirus programs generally have high demands in terms of memory resources and CPU resources. This protection and its updates are difficult to deploy on embedded systems. [0004] Another known scheme involves internal mechanisms t...

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