| 摘要: |
| 为了提高并行程序中共享内存数据的读写访问性能，事务内存机制于1993年被提出。因为事务内存机制直接涉及内存数据的读写控制，所以也得到了系统安全研究人员的极大关注。2013年，Intel公司开始支持TSX（Transactional Synchronizatione Xtension）特性，第一次在广泛使用的计算机硬件中支持事务内存机制。利用事务内存机制的内存访问跟踪、内存访问信号触发和内存操作回滚，以及Intel TSX特性的用户态事务回滚处理、在Cache中执行所有操作和硬件实现高效率，研究人员完成了各种的系统安全研究成果，包括：授权策略实施、虚拟机自省、密钥安全、控制流完整性、错误恢复和侧信道攻防等。本文先介绍了各种基于事务内存机制的研究成果；然后分析了现有各种系统安全研究成果与事务内存机制特性之间的关系，主要涉及了3个角度：内存访问的控制、事务回滚处理、和在Cache中执行所有操作。我们将已有的研究成果的技术方案从3个角度进行分解，与原有的、不基于事务内存机制的解决方案比较，解释了引入事务内存机制带来的技术优势。最后，我们总结展望了将来的研究，包括：硬件事务内存机制的实现改进，事务内存机制（尤其是硬件事务内存机制）在系统安全研究中的应用潜力。 |
| 关键词: 系统安全 事务内存 网络空间安全 |
| DOI：10.19363/J.cnki.cn10-1380/tn.2019.11.04 |
| Received:December 13, 2017Revised:March 07, 2018 |
| 基金项目:本论文工作得到自然科学基金“通用计算平台的密钥保护技术研究”（No.61772518）和国家重点研发计划网络空间安全重点专项“基于国产密码算法的移动互联网密码服务支撑基础设施关键技术”（No.2017YFB0802100）资助。 |
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| Applying Transactional Memory in System Security: Present and Future |
| LI Congwu,LIN Jingqiang,CAI Quanwei,LUO Bo |
| State Key Laboratory of Information Security, Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China;Data Assurance and Communication Security Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China;School of Cyber Security, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the University of Kansas, KS 66045, USA |
| Abstract: |
| Transactional memory was proposed in 1993 to improve the performance of shared memory access in parallel programs. Because transactional memory is related to the access control of memory data, lots of system security researchers also pay great attention to it. In 2013, Intel starts to support TSX (Transactional Synchronization eXtension), which is the first transaction memory mechanism in widely-used computer hardware. Utilizing memory access tracking, memory access signal triggering and memory operation rollback of transactional memory, as well as user-space rollback processing, in-cache execution of all operations and high efficiency of hardware implementations with Intel TSX, various system security schemes are finished, including authorization policy enforcement, virtual machine introspection, cryptographic key protection, control flow integrity, fault recovery and side channel attack/defense. This paper introduces the system security schemes based on transactional memory, and analyzes the relation between these schemes and the features of transactional memory, in terms of the control of memory access, the rollback processing and the in-cache execution of all operations. We deconstruct these schemes from these features, compare them with existing schemes not based on transactional memory, and then explain the advantages introduced by transactional memory. Finally, we discuss the future of applying transactional memory in system security, including the improvement of hardware transactional memory, and the potential applications of transactional memory, especially hardware transactional memory, in system security. |
| Key words: system security transactional memory cyber security |
