ImPress: Securing DRAM Against Data-Disturbance Errors via Implicit Row-Press Mitigation

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2407.16006v1
• Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:20:14 GMT
• Title: ImPress: Securing DRAM Against Data-Disturbance Errors via Implicit Row-Press Mitigation
• Authors: Moinuddin Qureshi, Anish Saxena, Aamer Jaleel,
• Abstract summary: DRAM cells are susceptible to Data-Disturbance Errors (DDE) Rowhammer is a well-known DDE vulnerability that occurs when a row is repeatedly activated. Row-Press (RP) is a new DDE vulnerability that occurs when a row is kept open for a long time.
• Score: 1.3921736520874155
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: DRAM cells are susceptible to Data-Disturbance Errors (DDE), which can be exploited by an attacker to compromise system security. Rowhammer is a well-known DDE vulnerability that occurs when a row is repeatedly activated. Rowhammer can be mitigated by tracking aggressor rows inside DRAM (in-DRAM) or at the Memory Controller (MC). Row-Press (RP) is a new DDE vulnerability that occurs when a row is kept open for a long time. RP significantly reduces the number of activations required to induce an error, thus breaking existing RH solutions. Prior work on Explicit Row-Press mitigation, ExPress, requires the memory controller to limit the maximum row-open-time, and redesign existing Rowhammer solutions with reduced Rowhammer threshold. Unfortunately, ExPress incurs significant performance and storage overheads, and being a memory controller-based solution, it is incompatible with in-DRAM trackers. In this paper, we propose Implicit Row-Press mitigation (ImPress), which does not restrict row-open-time, is compatible with memory controller-based and in-DRAM solutions and does not reduce the tolerated Rowhammer threshold. ImPress treats a row open for a specified time as equivalent to an activation. We design ImPress by developing a Unified Charge-Loss Model, which combines the net effect of both Rowhammer and Row-Press for arbitrary patterns. We analyze both controller-based (Graphene and PARA) and in-DRAM trackers (Mithril and MINT). We show that ImPress makes Rowhammer solutions resilient to Row-Press transparently, without affecting the Rowhammer threshold.

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