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eavesROP: Listening for ROP Payloads in Data Streams (preliminary full version)

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Author

Summary, in English

We consider the problem of detecting exploits based on return-oriented programming. In contrast to previous works we investigate to which extent we can detect ROP payloads by only analysing streaming data, i.e., we do not assume any modifications to the target machine, its kernel or its libraries. Neither do we attempt to execute any potentially malicious code in order to determine if it is an attack. While such a scenario has its limitations, we show that using a layered approach with a filtering mechanism together with the Fast Fourier Transform, it is possible to detect ROP payloads even in the presence of noise and assuming that the target system employs ASLR. Our approach, denoted eavesROP, thus provides a very lightweight and easily deployable mitigation against certain ROP attacks. It also provides the added merit of detecting the presence of a brute-force attack on ASLR since library base addresses are not assumed to be known by eavesROP.

Publishing year

2014

Language

English

Document type

Report

Publisher

[Publisher information missing]

Topic

  • Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

Keywords

  • Return-Oriented Programming
  • ROP
  • Pattern Matching
  • ASLR

Status

Unpublished

Research group

  • Crypto and Security