Apple Inc.

Jacques Anthony Vidrine

Christopher S Linn

Simon P Cooper

Peter Kiehtreiber

Braden Jacob Thomas

Randy D Saldinger

Gregory Daniel Hughes

Nicholas C Allegra

Kelly B Yancey

Jeffry E Gonion

Gerard Richard Williams

Timothy R Paaske

James Michael Magee

Ivan Krstic

Paul William Chinn

Russell Alexader Blaine

Kevin James Van Vechten

Conrado Blasco

Daniel Andreas Steffen

Eric Olaf Carlson

Lionel Divyang Desai

Tristan F Schaap

Austin G Jennings

Jainam Ashokkumar Shah

Vishal Patel

Aaron M Sigel

A data processing system can use a method of fine-grained address space layout randomization to mitigate the system's vulnerability to return oriented programming security exploits. The randomization can occur at the sub-segment level by randomizing clumps of virtual memory pages. The randomized virtual memory can be presented to processes executing on the system. The mapping between memory spaces can be obfuscated using several obfuscation techniques to prevent the reverse engineering of the shuffled virtual memory mapping.

Fine-grained memory address space layout randomization

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable mediums for preventing return oriented programming (ROP) attacks. A compiler may insert landing pads adjacent to valid return targets in an instruction sequence. When a return instruction is executed, the processor may treat the return as suspicious if the target of the return instruction does not have an adjacent landing pad. Additionally, each landing pad may be encoded with a color, and a colored launch pad may be inserted into the instruction stream next to each return instruction. When a return instruction is executed, the processor may determine if the target of the return has a landing pad with the same color as the launch pad of the return instruction. Return-target pairs with color mismatches may be treated as suspicious and the offending process may be killed.

Marking valid return targets

A method and an apparatus to dynamically distribute privileges among a plurality of processes are described. Each process may have attributes including a privilege to control access to processing resources. A first process may be running with a first privilege prohibited from access to a processing resource. A second process may be running with a second privilege allowed to access the processing resource. The first process may receive a request from the second process to perform a data processing task for the second process. In response, the second privilege may be dynamically transferred to the first process to allow the first process to access the processing resource. The first process may perform operations for the data processing task with the second privilege transferred from the second process.

Method and apparatus for inter process privilige transfer

The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for assigning multiple containers to a single application. A container can be a specified area of a file system that an assigned application can access to store data, while other applications are restricted access to the container. In some instances, it may be beneficial for multiple applications to share some data, while still maintaining other data in a secure location, thus an application can be assigned to multiple containers, a personal container that can only be accessed by the application, and a shared container that can be accessed by multiple applications. Further, an application can be assigned an alternate container, in addition to the personal container. The alternate container can be used when an alternate user is using the client device, thus restricting the alternate user from accessing any sensitive data stored in the personal container.

Multiple containers assigned to an application

Obfuscation of an address space layout randomization mapping in a data processing system

Using a fine-grained address space layout randomization to mitigate potential security exploits

A novel security framework that is part of an operating system of a device is provided. The framework includes a security assessor that performs security policy assessments for different operations that need to be performed with respect to an application executing on the device. Examples of such operations include the installation of the application, execution of the application, and the opening of content files (e.g., opening of documents) by the application.

Centralized operation management

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for processing just-in-time code at a device that enforces a code signing requirement. The disclosure includes receiving computer code, where a portion of the code includes executable just-in-time code, at a device that enforces a code signing requirement; identifying the unsigned just-in-time executable portion of code; allocating a randomly selected memory region on the device for at least some of the unsigned just-in-time executable portion; and executing the unsigned just-in-time executable portion of code in the randomly selected memory region as if the unsigned just-in-time executable portion of code was signed computer code.

System and method for supporting JIT in a secure system with randomly allocated memory ranges

A resource manager of an operating system of a data processing system receives a first request from a first program for a ticket for accessing at least one of resources of the data processing system. In response to the first request, the resource manager determines whether the first program is entitled to access the resource. The ticket for accessing the resource is issued to the first program if the first program is entitled to access the resource. The ticket can be used by a second program to obtain rights to access the resource by acquiring the ticket from the first program, where the second program would not otherwise be entitled to access the resource based on a security profile associated with the second program.

Method for managing computer resources accessed by a program operating in a restricted environment

It has been discovered that identifying files introduced into a system, particularly those originating from external sources, as being subject to security evaluation and deferring the security evaluation until access or attempted access of the file reduces security vulnerabilities of a system. A file introduced into a processing system is tagged with a security tag if the file is introduced via a supervised introduction point and/or introduced by a supervised program. Upon access or attempted access of the tagged file, security evaluation is initiated on the file.

Method and apparatus for deferred security analysis

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Jacques Anthony Vidrine