Breaking the walls

Abstract

While the x86 instruction set architecture strictly defines the observable behaviour of modern CPU, its inner workings remain highly undocumented. The micro-operations that govern the processor are hidden behind a wall. Let’s break this wall using vulnerabilities of the CPU itself to build a sniffer that precisely observes the micro-architectural activity. Have you ever wanted to see what a Spectre attack looks like from inside the CPU? Come and see. We don’t like walls! This talk is based on the recent work of Brandon Falk.

Pietro Borrello

Microarchitecture Security Researcher

Microarchitecture Security Researcher at Apple SEAR.