Internet of Things for Architects

Processor and memory space

We have already discussed various exploits and processor technologies that act as countermeasures. Two predominant technologies to look for in CPU and OS facilities include non-execution memory and address space layout randomization. Both types of technologies are meant to burden or prevent buffer-overflow and stack-overrun types of malware injection:

• Non-execution or executable space protection: This is a facility enabled by the hardware used by the operating system to mark areas of memory as non-executable. The intent is to map only areas where verified and legitimate code resides to be the only regions of addressable memory that can execute an operation. If an attempt is made to implant malware through a stack-overflow ...