Name: Getting on the Same (Virtual Memory) Page: A Roundtable on Data-only Attack Mitigations - Maxwell Bland, Motorola (Lenovo)
Start: 2025-06-26T15:40:00-0600
End: 2025-06-26T16:10:00-0600

June 26 - 27 | Denver, Colorado
View More Details & Registration
Note: The schedule is subject to change.

The Sched app allows you to build your schedule but is not a substitute for your event registration. You must be registered for Linux Security Summit North America 2025 to participate in the sessions. If you have not registered but would like to join us, please go to the event registration page to purchase a registration.

This schedule is automatically displayed in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT | UTC-6). To see the schedule in your preferred timezone, please select from the drop-down menu to the right, above "Filter by Date."

Thursday June 26, 2025 3:40pm - 4:10pm MDT

Room BBB 3G+3H

This session is a short, open discussion on strategies and mechanisms for mitigating malicious modifications to structures in the data and bss segments as well as the heap of the kernel. We will overview case studies for how these attacks work across various types of CVEs, as well as existing protections, from those requiring new hardware (ARM MTE, TMDFI), to those working with existing hardware (ARM POE + kpkeys, HVCI/Heki-style enforcement systems), to software approaches (compiler-enforced data-flow, allocator restrictions, data layout randomization). We will then turn to an open discussion session of the benefits and drawbacks of offered protections, to (1) identify just how difficult we can make it for attackers using current mechanisms, (2) pinpoint precise gaps to focus in on for future work, and (3) come up with solutions to the harder problems involved, such as determining what is a "valid" write.

Refs.
https://lore.kernel.org/all/uqgb234tm4svoz2yvbamzal2srxnjnwrj2coiimvuz5bzblbia@pfabobbxo2jf/
https://lore.kernel.org/all/a32cjyekuecoowzbitc2xykilvpu6l3jjtityp7x5hw7xbiysp@5l2lptwmqiug/
https://www.usenix.org/system/files/usenixsecurity24-johannesmeyer.pdf

Speakers

Maxwell Bland

Security Researcher, Motorola (Lenovo)

Maxwell is a security researcher at Motorola working on hypervisor-enforced kernel protection systems for Android phones, motivated by his empirical study of mobile device malware and OS exploit PoC's. Prior to joining Motorola, Maxwell received his doctorate from UIUC, where he worked... Read More →

Thursday June 26, 2025 3:40pm - 4:10pm MDT
Room BBB 3G+3H

Short Topic

Linux Security Summit North America 2025

Maxwell Bland

Sign up or log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!