Hypervisor Memory Isolation Table for Secure Shared VM Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory systems face security risks due to inadequate data isolation, making them vulnerable to malicious attacks, particularly when different virtual machines share memory regions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a memory management system with a hypervisor and an IMDI circuit that manages access to distinct memory regions for different virtual machines and tasks, using an IMDI table to define and control access rights, ensuring secure data isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If different virtual machines share memory regions to improve resource utilization, then productivity increases, but security reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to malicious attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the memory space into distinct regions (first region, second region, shared region, and IMDI region) that are segmented by virtual machine and task. Each virtual machine is assigned specific memory regions it can access, while the IMDI circuit enforces these segmentation boundaries to prevent unauthorized cross-vm or cross-task access, thus maintaining security while allowing controlled sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The IMDI circuit acts as an intermediary between virtual machines and the memory system. It receives access requests from virtual machines, checks them against the IMDI table to determine if the access is authorized, and either permits or blocks the access. This intermediary mechanism enables secure memory sharing by mediating all access attempts and enforcing isolation policies.
2Reliability
If memory isolation is strengthened to improve security reliability, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional management structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to memory management by introducing the IMDI table and IMDI circuit that operate alongside traditional memory management structures. The IMDI table adds a task-level isolation dimension within virtual machines, creating a multi-layered security architecture that enhances reliability without completely redesigning the existing memory management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The IMDI circuit serves multiple functions: it manages memory isolation between different virtual machines, enforces task-level isolation within virtual machines, and controls access to the shared memory region. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated structures for each isolation level, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If an IMDI table is implemented to control task-level access, then security reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional control structures
Solution Approach 1:
The IMDI table is nested within the existing memory management architecture, working in conjunction with the hypervisor and virtual machine monitor. The task-level isolation implemented by the IMDI table is nested within the virtual machine isolation layer, creating a hierarchical security structure where each layer operates at a different granularity level, thereby managing complexity through organized nesting.
Data Source
AI summary
A memory management system includes a first virtual machine, a second virtual machine, and a hypervisor configured to manage a region to which the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine access in a memory, control the first virtual machine to access a first region and a shared region in the memory, control the second virtual machine to access the shared region and a second region different from the first region in the memory, and in response to a request of the first virtual machine, store an in-memory data isolation (IMDI) table that indicates an IMDI region that a task of the first virtual machine accesses and a task of the second virtual machine does not access, in the memory.