Shining Light on Shadow Stacks

Explore the comprehensive analysis of shadow stack mechanisms for protecting against control-flow hijacking attacks in C/C++ programs. Delve into the performance, compatibility, and security aspects of various shadow stack designs presented at the 2019 IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. Learn about the proposed Shadesmar design, which leverages a dedicated register for improved performance and minimal memory overhead. Examine case studies demonstrating the feasibility of dedicating a general-purpose register to security monitoring on modern architectures. Gain insights into the potential of Intel x86 extensions for memory protection and page table control in enhancing intra-process memory isolation. Understand the design requirements for dedicated hardware mechanisms supporting precise software security mitigations and their implications for future cybersecurity efforts.

Intro
Backward Edge Pointer
State of CFI Mitigation
Shadow Stacks
Control Flow Hijacking
What is a Shadow Stack
Shadow Stack Advantages
Shadow Stack Design
Recommended Shadow Stack
General Purpose Register
Compatibility
Integrity Protection
Integrity Enforcement
Performance Evaluation
Conclusion