Pointer Coloring for Memory Access Error Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In type-unsafe languages like C or C++, pointer value bugs can lead to memory corruption errors, which are difficult to detect and can result in serious consequences, including security threats and increased testing costs as applications become more complex and diverse.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a lightweight pointer coloring system that encodes pointers with a color associated with their memory region, using a small number of bits to confine pointers within their allocated ranges, allowing for efficient detection of memory access errors and preventing malicious attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pointer coloring encoding is implemented to detect memory access errors, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pointer value is segmented into multiple parts: a base address portion and a color encoding portion. The color encoding uses a small number of bits (e.g., 5 bits providing 32 colors) to represent memory region identifiers. This segmentation allows error detection capability to be added without requiring completely new data structures, as the color bits are integrated into the existing pointer format.
Solution Approach 2:
The pointer representation is transformed by adding color parameters to existing pointers. Instead of creating separate metadata structures, the invention modifies the pointer parameter itself by embedding color information directly in the pointer value. This parameter change approach maintains compatibility with existing pointer usage while adding detection functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If colored pointers are used to confine memory access, then security is improved, but productivity decreases due to additional checking overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The color encoding is applied in advance to all pointers before they are used for memory access. The coloring process assigns a color to each pointer based on its intended memory region, and this colored pointer is then used throughout the program's execution. The security check happens automatically with each memory access by comparing the pointer's color with the target memory's color, eliminating the need for separate security verification steps during execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The pointer itself carries the security information (color encoding) that it needs for validation. When a colored pointer is used to access memory, the system automatically verifies that the pointer's color matches the memory region's color. This self-validating mechanism provides security without requiring external security management systems or additional software layers.
3Manufacturing precision
If fine-grained pointer coloring is implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of substance increases due to additional memory overhead
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of coloring every single byte or word of memory, the invention applies coloring at a coarser granularity level (e.g., 512-byte blocks or larger regions). This partial coloring approach provides sufficient precision to detect most pointer errors while significantly reducing the overhead compared to fine-grained byte-level coloring. The color encoding captures the essential information needed for error detection without the full cost of maximum precision.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for associating a first identifier with a first pointer that points to a first object in a memory. The first identifier may correspond to a value in a segment of a map array for a location of the first object in the memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.