MOAT: Towards Safe BPF Kernel Extension

Watch a conference presentation from USENIX Security '24 exploring MOAT, an innovative system designed to enhance Linux kernel security through BPF program isolation. Learn how researchers from Southern University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology address vulnerabilities in the Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) verification process by implementing Intel Memory Protection Keys (MPK). Discover the technical challenges overcome in the development of MOAT, including managing limited hardware keys and protecting BPF helper functions. Examine the system's implementation on Linux version 6.1.38 and its impressive performance metrics, demonstrating only a 3% throughput loss when isolating BPF packet filters. Gain insights into cutting-edge kernel security mechanisms that protect against unauthorized memory access while maintaining system efficiency.