Processor Jump Detection via Dedicated Register Segmentation

The processor divides the register file into multiple independent register groups, each dedicated to storing jump destination addresses for specific privilege levels. This segmentation isolates jump target storage from general-purpose registers, preventing attackers from tampering with jump destinations through stack overflow while maintaining simple access mechanisms for legitimate jump operations.

The patent introduces dedicated jump destination registers as intermediary storage between the program counter and jump instructions. These intermediary registers act as a buffer that validates and controls jump destinations, preventing direct modification of jump targets while allowing controlled jumps to legitimate destinations. The intermediary structure enables security checks without significantly complicating the overall processor architecture.

The dedicated jump destination registers serve multiple functions: they store jump destinations for privilege level mode, provide validation references for attack detection, and maintain compatibility with standard jump operations. By designing these registers to handle both security-critical jump validation and normal program flow, the patent reduces overall system complexity while achieving reliable attack detection.

The processor performs preliminary initialization of jump destination registers with valid destination addresses before executing jump instructions in privilege level mode. This preliminary action establishes a baseline of expected jump destinations, enabling the detection mechanism to identify unauthorized jumps by comparing actual jump targets against the pre-initialized valid destinations, thereby achieving attack detection without complex runtime analysis.

The processor pre-validates and stores legitimate jump destination addresses in dedicated registers during system initialization or before entering privilege level mode. By performing validation in advance rather than during each jump execution, the system establishes a cache of trusted destinations that can be quickly referenced during runtime, minimizing the impact on execution speed while maintaining high validation accuracy.

The validation mechanism focuses specifically on validating jump destination parameters rather than performing comprehensive instruction analysis. By applying validation only to the critical jump destination parameter and using simple comparison operations against pre-stored valid destinations, the patent achieves effective attack prevention with minimal overhead on overall execution speed, avoiding excessive validation that would significantly slow down program execution.