US 12,443,713 B2
Systems and methods for defending against side channel attacks to speculative execution of processor pipeline instructions
Hithesh Hassan Lepaksha, Hyderabad (IN); Darshan Kumar Nandanwar, Bangalore (IN); Kartik Gunvantbhai Desai, Savarkundla (IN); and Sagar Bamashetti, Chadchan (IN)
Assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by QUALCOMM Incorporated, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 4, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/595,244.
Prior Publication US 2025/0278489 A1, Sep. 4, 2025
Int. Cl. G06F 21/56 (2013.01); G06F 21/55 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/566 (2013.01) [G06F 21/554 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
executing a first pointer authentication instruction on a pointer in a speculative path of a pipeline, the first pointer authentication instruction including a first pointer authentication code;
determining whether the first pointer authentication code for the pointer fails;
determining whether the first pointer authentication code for the pointer differs from a previous pointer authentication code for the pointer in response to the first pointer authentication code failing;
incrementing a failure counter in response to determining that the first pointer authentication code for the pointer failed and that the first pointer authentication code for the pointer differs from the previous pointer authentication code for the pointer;
determining whether the failure counter is greater than a threshold value; and
performing a defensive action in response to the failure counter being greater than the threshold value.