SGX: when 20 patch versions aren't enough
SGX: when 20 patch versions aren't enough
Intel's "Software Guard Extensions" (SGX) feature allows the creation of encrypted "enclaves" that cannot be accessed from the rest of the system. Normal code can call into an enclave, but only code running inside the enclave itself can access the data stored there. SGX is pitched as a way of protecting data from a hostile kernel; for example, an encryption key stored in an enclave should be secure even if the system as a whole is compromised. Support for SGX has been under development for over three years; LWN covered it in 2016. But, as can be seen from the response to the latest revision of the SGX patch set, all that work has still not answered an important question: what protects the kernel against a hostile enclave?