Apparatus and method for managing capabilities

Abstract

An apparatus is described having processing circuitry for performing operations during which access requests to memory are generated. The processing circuitry generates memory addresses for the access requests using capabilities, where each capability indicates a pointer value and constraining information used to constrain access to memory using memory addresses derived from the pointer value. A marker indication field is stored in association with each capability to provide a marker value used to distinguish between static capabilities used to access statically allocated memory and dynamic capabilities used to access dynamically allocated memory. Capability tracking circuitry maintains a tracking structure providing a tracking field for each of a plurality of memory regions, and the capability tracking circuitry sets the tracking field for a given memory region amongst the plurality of memory regions when at least one capability whose associated marker indication field has a specified marker value is written to the given memory region. The specified marker value indicates that writing of the associated capability to memory is to be tracked by the capability tracking circuitry to facilitate subsequent revocation of that associated capability.