Memory protection unit, memory protection method, and computer-readable record medium in which memory protection program is recorded

• US 20050144408A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ejima, Kenji, Mizuyama, Masashige
• Application Number:
  US11/020,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144408A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow

Abstract

A memory protection unit, a memory protection method and a computer-readable record medium in which a memory protection program is recorded is provided which are capable of preventing a memory from being improperly rewritten by a malfunction in a subroutine. This memory protection unit includes: a memory which has at least one memory area that is used by at least one subroutine, and in which a writing attribute that shows a writing permission or a writing prohibition can be set for every memory area; a subroutine choice section which chooses a subroutine that executes a processing request; a memory-area specification section which specifies a memory area that is used by the subroutine; and a subroutine calling section which sets, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the specified memory area, calls the chosen subroutine, and sets, to the writing prohibition, the writing attribute of the memory area after completing the execution of the subroutine.

Claims

1. A memory protection unit, comprising:

a memory which includes at least one memory area that is used by at least one subroutine, and in which a writing attribute is set for every memory area, the writing attribute representing a writing permission or a writing prohibition;

a subroutine choosing means for accepting a processing request, and choosing a subroutine which executes the processing request;

a memory-area specifying means for specifying a memory area which is used by the subroutine that is chosen by the subroutine choosing means; and

a subroutine calling means for setting, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is specified by the memory-area specifying means, thereafter calling and executing the subroutine that is chosen by the subroutine choosing means, and setting, to the writing prohibition, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing permission after completing the execution of the subroutine.

2. The memory protection unit according to claim 1, wherein:

in the memory, a subroutine management table is stored which relates the processing request to a subroutine that corresponds to the processing request; and

the subroutine choosing means accepts a processing request, and chooses the subroutine that corresponds to the processing request, by referring to the subroutine management table.

3. The memory protection unit according to claim 1, wherein:

in the memory, a memory-area management table is stored which relates the subroutine to a memory area that is used by the subroutine; and

the memory-area specifying means specifies the memory area which is used by the subroutine that is chosen by the subroutine choosing means, by referring to the memory-area management table.

4. The memory protection unit according to claim 1, further comprising an interruption response processing means for:

when an interruption processing request is issued while a subroutine is executed by the subroutine calling means, setting the writing attribute of the memory area which is used by the subroutine in execution, from the writing permission to the writing prohibition;

thereafter calling and executing an interruption response processing which responds to the interruption processing request; and

resetting, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing prohibition after completing the execution of the interruption response processing.

5. The memory protection unit according to claim 1, further comprising an interruption response processing means for:

when an interruption processing request is issued while a subroutine is executed by the subroutine calling means, calling and executing an interruption response processing which responds to the interruption processing request;

in arbitrary timing when the interruption response processing is in execution, setting the writing attribute of the memory area which is used by the subroutine in execution, from the writing permission to the writing prohibition; and

resetting, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing prohibition after completing the execution of the interruption response processing.

6. The memory protection unit according to claim 5, wherein

the interruption response processing is divided in advance into a top half and a bottom half, and

the interruption response processing means:

when an interruption processing request is issued while a subroutine is executed by the subroutine calling means, calls and executes the top half of an interruption response processing which responds to the interruption processing request;

sets the writing attribute of the memory area which is used by the subroutine in execution, from the writing permission to the writing prohibition after completing the execution of the top half;

calls and executes the bottom half of the interruption response processing after setting the writing attribute to the writing prohibition; and

resets, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing prohibition after completing the execution of the bottom half.

7. The memory protection unit according to claim 1, further comprising a memory-protection exception issuing means for issuing a memory-protection exception which is used to execute an exceptional processing when an instruction is issued to write in the memory area where the writing attribute is set to the writing prohibition.

8. The memory protection unit according to claim 7, wherein:

the memory includes a plurality of modules, each of the modules having at least one subroutine, and at least one memory area which is used by the subroutine; and

the memory-protection exception issuing means includes an exceptional processing means for executing an exceptional processing which specifies a subroutine in which an instruction is issued to write in the memory area where the writing attribute is set to the writing prohibition, specifies a module which includes the subroutine, and initializes the module.

9. The memory protection unit according to claim 8, wherein:

in the memory, a module management table is stored which relates the subroutine to a module that includes the subroutine; and

the exceptional processing means specifies the module that includes the subroutine, by referring to the module management table.

10. A memory protection method for managing writing in a memory including at least one memory area that is used by at least one subroutine by allowing the memory area to be settable with a writing attribute representing a writing permission or a writing prohibition, comprising:

a subroutine choosing step for accepting a processing request, and choosing a subroutine which executes the processing request;

a memory-area specifying step for specifying a memory area which is used by the subroutine that is chosen in the subroutine choosing step; and

a subroutine calling step for setting, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is specified in the memory-area specifying step, thereafter calling and executing the subroutine that is chosen in the subroutine choosing step, and setting, to the writing prohibition, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing permission after completing the execution of the subroutine.

11. A computer-readable record medium recorded with a memory protection program for managing writing in a memory including at least one memory area that is used by at least one subroutine by allowing the memory area to be settable with a writing attribute representing a writing permission or a writing prohibition;

the memory protection program allowing a computer to function as;

a subroutine choosing means for accepting a processing request, and choosing a subroutine which executes the processing request;

a memory-area specifying means for specifying a memory area which is used by the subroutine that is chosen by the subroutine choosing means; and

a subroutine calling means for setting, to the writing permission, the writing attribute of the memory area which is specified by the memory-area specifying means, thereafter calling and executing the subroutine that is chosen by the subroutine choosing means, and setting, to the writing prohibition, the writing attribute of the memory area which is set to the writing permission after completing the execution of the subroutine.