Heap management for memory corruption detection

• US 10,585,741 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Stark, Tomer, Tal, Ady, Gabor, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US16/123,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20190004886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/073 in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1064 in cache or content addressable memories

Abstract

Memory corruption detection technologies are described. A processor core of a processor can receive a first pointer produced by a first memory access instruction of an application being executed by the processor. The first pointer includes a first memory address of a first memory object and a third metadata value and the memory address identifies a memory block in the first set of one or more contiguous memory blocks. The processor core compares the third metadata value to the first metadata value and communicates a memory corruption detection message to the application when the third metadata value does not match the first metadata value. The processor core provides the first memory object to the application when the third metadata value matches the first metadata value.

Claims

1. A processor, comprising:

a memory to store data from an application, wherein the memory comprises a memory corruption detection (MCD) table; and

a processor core coupled to the memory, wherein the processing core is operable to;

receive an allocation request, from the application, for allocation of a memory object having one or more contiguous memory blocks in the memory;

generate a first memory corruption detection (MCD) identifier (ID) for the memory object;

associate the first MCD ID with the one or more contiguous memory blocks of the memory object;

allocate the memory object in the memory starting at a first memory address;

store the first MCD ID into an entry for the one or more contiguous memory blocks in the MCD table;

create a first pointer to the memory object, the first pointer including the first memory address;

store the first MCD ID associated with the memory object in the first pointer;

send the first pointer to the application;

receive an access request to access the memory object, the access request including a second pointer, the second pointer including a second memory address and a second MCD ID;

compare a first MCD ID from an entry in the MCD table corresponding to the second memory address to the second MCD ID;

allow access to the memory object when the first MCD ID matches the second MCD ID; and

generate a page fault when the first MCD ID does not match the second MCD ID.

2. The processor of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a size of the memory object requested by the allocation request.

3. The processor of claim 1, wherein the processor is to

generate the first MCD ID using a random selection scheme;

and

verify that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

4. The processor of claim 1, wherein the processor is to

generate the first MCD ID using a round robin selection scheme;

and

verify that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

5. The processor of claim 1, wherein the processor is to store the first MCD ID in the upper bits of the MCD table entry and the first pointer.

6. The processor of claim 1, wherein the allocation request is for an allocation having at least one of a first size and a second size, wherein the first size corresponds to a number of contiguous memory blocks below a first threshold amount, and wherein the second size corresponds to a number of contiguous memory blocks that exceeds the first threshold amount.

7. A method comprising:

receiving an allocation request, from an application, for allocation of a memory object having one or more contiguous memory blocks in a memory, the memory comprising a memory corruption detection (MCD) table;

generating a first MCD identifier (ID) for the memory object;

associating the first MCD ID with the one or more contiguous memory blocks of the memory object;

allocating the memory object in the memory starting at a first memory address;

storing the first MCD ID into an entry for the one or more contiguous memory blocks in the MCD table;

creating a first pointer to the memory object, the first pointer including the first memory address;

storing the first MCD ID associated with the memory object in the first pointer;

sending the first pointer to the application;

receiving an access request to access the memory object, the access request including a second pointer, the second pointer including a second memory address and a second MCD ID;

comparing a first MCD ID from an entry in the MCD table corresponding to the second memory address to the second MCD ID;

allowing access to the memory object when the first MCD ID matches the second MCD ID; and

generating a page fault when the first MCD ID does not match the second MCD ID.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising determining a size of the memory object requested by the allocation request.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising generating the first MCD ID using a random selection scheme;

and verifying that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising generating the first MCD ID using a round robin selection scheme;

and verifying that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising storing the first MCD ID in the upper bits of the MCD table entry and the first pointer.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the allocation request is for an allocation having at least one of a first size and a second size, wherein the first size corresponds to a number of contiguous memory blocks below a first threshold amount, and wherein the second size corresponds to a number of contiguous memory blocks that exceeds the first threshold amount.

13. At least one tangible machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive an allocation request, from an application, for allocation of a memory object having one or more contiguous memory blocks in a memory, the memory comprising a memory corruption detection (MCD) table;

generate a first MCD identifier (ID) for the memory object;

associate the first MCD ID with the one or more contiguous memory blocks of the memory object;

allocate the memory object in the memory starting at a first memory address;

store the first MCD ID into an entry for the one or more contiguous memory blocks in the MCD table;

create a first pointer to the memory object, the first pointer including the first memory address;

store the first MCD ID associated with the memory object in the first pointer;

send the first pointer to the application;

receive an access request to access the memory object, the access request including a second pointer, the second pointer including a second memory address and a second MCD ID;

compare a first MCD ID from an entry in the MCD table corresponding to the second memory address to the second MCD ID;

allow access to the memory object when the first MCD ID matches the second MCD ID; and

generate a page fault when the first MCD ID does not match the second MCD ID.

14. The at least one tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that in response to being executed by a processor cause the processor to determine a size of the memory object requested by the allocation request.

15. The at least one tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that in response to being executed by a processor cause the processor to generate the first MCD ID using a random selection scheme;

and verify that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

16. The at least one tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that in response to being executed by a processor cause the processor to generate the first MCD ID using a round robin selection scheme;

and verify that the first MCD ID is different from another MCD ID of an adjacent contiguous memory block.

17. The at least one tangible machine-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that in response to being executed by a processor cause the processor to store the first MCD ID in the upper bits of the MCD table entry and the first pointer.