Intel's Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP)

stmok · 7th June 2011, 10:00 PM

I thought this would be interesting to share. I wasn't really sure where to post this. But since its a hardware feature, I'll stick it here.

In mid-May, an Intel employee submitted a patch to the Linux Kernel to enable support for an unannounced security-related feature in their CPUs.

Its called SMEP (Supervisor Mode Execution Protection).

While I couldn't find any info on it from Intel, a security researcher (whitehat hacker) has blogged about it in detail...

SMEP: What is It, and How to Beat It on Linux
=> http://vulnfactory.org/blog/2011/06/...t-it-on-linux/

At this time, no Intel processor supports SMEP. Presumably, it will be a feature in Ivy Bridge for 2012. (We can also assume Windows 8 will support it. Maybe a patch or Service Pack feature for Windows Vista/7?)

7th June 2011, 10:00 PM	#1
stmok Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 8,889	Intel's Supervisor Mode Execution Protection (SMEP) I thought this would be interesting to share. I wasn't really sure where to post this. But since its a hardware feature, I'll stick it here. In mid-May, an Intel employee submitted a patch to the Linux Kernel to enable support for an unannounced security-related feature in their CPUs. Its called SMEP (Supervisor Mode Execution Protection). While I couldn't find any info on it from Intel, a security researcher (whitehat hacker) has blogged about it in detail... SMEP: What is It, and How to Beat It on Linux => http://vulnfactory.org/blog/2011/06/...t-it-on-linux/ At this time, no Intel processor supports SMEP. Presumably, it will be a feature in Ivy Bridge for 2012. (We can also assume Windows 8 will support it. Maybe a patch or Service Pack feature for Windows Vista/7?) __________________ "Haters gonna hate." => "I have no logical rebuttal to your criticism so I'm going to say something simple and meaningless to make myself feel better."-crabjokeman from Techreport.com forums. "The politicians don’t just want your money. They want your soul. They want you to be worn down by taxes until you are dependent and helpless."-James Dale Davidson.