Stanford Seminar - Thunderclap & CHERI - Capability Hardware-Enhanced RISC Instructions

Explore cutting-edge research on I/O security and hardware-enhanced instruction sets in this Stanford seminar featuring Peter Neumann from SRI International. Dive into two interconnected topics: Thunderclap, a research platform for investigating vulnerabilities in operating system IOMMU protection, and CHERI (Capability Hardware-Enhanced RISC Instructions), an ongoing hardware-software development project. Learn about the risks of DMA attacks through Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C devices, and discover how current IOMMU protections fall short in the face of malicious network peripherals. Examine vulnerabilities found in major operating systems and understand the complex vulnerability space for IOMMU-exposed shared memory. Gain insights into the CHERI project, which aims to enhance RISC instruction sets with hardware-based capabilities, and explore its potential impact on computer security. Delve into the technical details, research findings, and ongoing developments in these crucial areas of computer security and architecture.