Two approaches to x86 memory encryption
Two approaches to x86 memory encryption
Techniques for hardening the security of running systems often focus on access to memory. An attacker who can write (or even read) arbitrary memory regions will be able to take over the system in short order; even the ability to access small regions of memory can often be exploited. One possible defensive technique would be to encrypt the contents of memory so that an attacker can do nothing useful with it, even if access is somehow gained; this type of encryption clearly requires hardware support. Both Intel and AMD are introducing such support in their processors, and patches to enable that support have been posted for consideration; the two manufacturers have taken somewhat different approaches to the problem, though.