Countering Code-Injection Attacks With Instruction-Set Randomization

DMCA

Countering Code-Injection Attacks With Instruction-Set Randomization (2003)

Cached

Download Links

Other Repositories/Bibliography

DBLP

by Gaurav S. Kc

Venue:	In Proceedings of the ACM Computer and Communications Security (CCS) Conference
Citations:	234 - 26 self

BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS{Kc03counteringcode-injection,
    author = {Gaurav S. Kc},
    title = {Countering Code-Injection Attacks With Instruction-Set Randomization},
    booktitle = {In Proceedings of the ACM Computer and Communications Security (CCS) Conference},
    year = {2003},
    pages = {272--280},
    publisher = {ACM Press}
}

OpenURL

Abstract

We describe a new, general approach for safeguarding systems against any type of code-injection attack. We apply Kerckhoff’s principle, by creating process-specific randomized instruction sets (e.g., machine instructions) of the system executing potentially vulnerable software. An attacker who does not know the key to the randomization algorithm will inject code that is invalid for that randomized processor, causing a runtime exception. To determine the difficulty of integrating support for the proposed mechanism in the operating system, we modified the Linux kernel, the GNU binutils tools, and the bochs-x86 emulator. Although the performance penalty is significant, our prototype demonstrates the feasibility of the approach, and should be directly usable on a suitable-modified processor (e.g., the Transmeta Crusoe). Our approach is equally applicable against code-injecting attacks in scripting and interpreted languages, e.g., web-based SQL injection. We demonstrate this by modifying the Perl interpreter to permit randomized script execution. The performance penalty in this case is minimal. Where our proposed approach is feasible (i.e., in an emulated environment, in the presence of programmable or specialized hardware, or in interpreted languages), it can serve as a low-overhead protection mechanism, and can easily complement other mechanisms.

Keyphrases

code-injection attack instruction-set randomization interpreted language performance penalty web-based sql injection process-specific randomized instruction set code-injecting attack specialized hardware randomization algorithm transmeta crusoe linux kernel emulated environment suitable-modified processor gnu binutils tool machine instruction runtime exception general approach kerckhoff principle bochs-x86 emulator vulnerable software operating system perl interpreter randomized script execution low-overhead protection mechanism

DMCA