Multi-modal memory hierarchical management for mitigating side-channel attacks in the cloud

摘要

Techniques for preventing side-channel attacks on a cache are provided. A method according to these techniques includes executing a software instruction indicating that a portion of software requiring data protection is about to be executed, setting the cache to operate in a randomized mode to de-correlate cache timing and cache miss behavior from data being processed by the portion of software requiring data protection responsive to the instruction indicating that the portion of software requiring data protection is about to be executed, executing the portion of software requiring data protection, storing the data being processed by the portion of software requiring data protection, and setting the cache to operate in a standard operating mode responsive to an instruction indicating that execution of the portion of software requiring data protection has completed.