Remote Memory Encryption for Fine-Grain Access Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryptographic computing systems face challenges in proactively blocking out-of-bound memory accesses and ensuring cryptographic isolation of memory regions, leading to potential data corruption and unauthorized access, particularly in fine-grain scenarios like virtual machines, applications, and threads.
Innovation Solution
Implement cryptographic isolation within processor cores by encrypting memory addresses and data using secret keys and tweaks, encoding pointers with metadata, and employing cryptographic algorithms to enforce memory access controls, thereby preventing unauthorized access and detecting corruption proactively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptographic mechanisms are implemented inside processor components to encrypt data and pointers, then data security and confidentiality are improved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cryptographic operations (encryption, decryption, authentication) directly into the processor core components, merging security functions with existing processing units. This integration encrypts data and pointers at the hardware level without requiring separate cryptographic devices, thereby improving security while managing complexity through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic mechanisms are designed to handle multiple functions including encryption of data, encryption of pointers, authentication of memory accesses, and detection of out-of-bound accesses. This multi-functional approach allows a single cryptographic subsystem to perform diverse security tasks, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive protection.
2Reliability
If cryptographic operations are performed for every memory access to ensure security, then data protection is improved, but processing speed and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs cryptographic preparation in advance by encrypting pointers and metadata before memory access operations. The processor pre-computes authentication tags and encrypts address information ahead of time, so that during actual memory access, the cryptographic verification can proceed in parallel or with minimal overhead, thus protecting data while maintaining processing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic mechanisms operate continuously and seamlessly with normal processor operations. Encryption and authentication are integrated into the memory access pipeline so that security operations continue without interrupting the main processing flow, ensuring both data protection and sustained productivity.
3Measurement precision
If fine-grain cryptographic isolation is implemented for virtual machines and applications, then security precision is improved, but device complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements fine-grain cryptographic isolation by dividing memory spaces into distinct encrypted regions for different virtual machines and applications. Each segment receives unique encryption keys and authentication parameters, enabling precise isolation at the level of individual memory pages or structures. This segmentation allows high precision isolation while managing complexity through modular key management and localized cryptographic operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
In one embodiment, an application executing on a host node allocates a memory address of a remote node. The application selects, based at least in part on device capability information for the host and remote nodes, one of the host node or the remote node to encrypt application data, and configures the selected node to encrypt the application data based on a key and a pointer to the memory address of the remote node.