4 ms·

New buzzword for old thing alert.

vintagedave 2y ago
I'll say. > Attackers regularly exploit spatial memory safety vulnerabilities, which occur when code accesses a memory allocation outside of its intended bounds Isn't that... 'out of bounds memory access'?
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- SAI_Peregrinus 2y ago
  Yes. It's as opposed to temporal memory safety vulnerabilities, like use-after-free or data races.
- moyix 2y ago
  [This is more of a reply to a deleted reply to you, but I don't want my efforts to go to waste] Spatial memory safety is a reasonably common term in the security / PL field. You can see examples of it being used at least as far back as 2009: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=spatial+memory+safety&btnG= https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=spa... It's in contrast to temporal memory safety, which deals with object lifetimes (use after free, for example). Here Google is probably also referencing a 2022 post of theirs with a very similar title, dealing with temporal safety: https://security.googleblog.com/2022/05/retrofitting-temporal-memory-safety-on-c.html https://security.googleblog.com/2022/05/retrofitting-tempora... The terms are also in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_safety#Classification_of_memory_safety_errors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_safety#Classification_o...
aseipp 2y ago
People (both practitioners & researchers) have been using the terms "temporal" and "spatial" to refer to different classes of C++ vulnerabilities for at least 12+ years, back when I was actually writing exploits for a job. It is not new at all, and anyone in the field within the past 6-7 years and worth their salt will instantly recognize them.
- tom_ 2y ago
  For whatever it's worth, I've been doing this stupid shit - writing C++, that is - for 25 years, and this is the first time I've heard this term. (This is a data point rather than a complaint. But for a fee, it can become a complaint if you would like.)
  - aseipp 2y ago
    I meant security engineers/exploiters actually, but yeah, I can see how most working C++ programmers who aren't security specialists might not be as familiar with it.
epage 2y ago
This term is coming up more frequently in the C++ community as they discuss Rust's safety features so to add more nuance to the discussion and focus on subsets of the problem to solve. Note that there are some more heated takes on where these terms are being used. I tried to be as generous as possible in my description.
pizlonator 2y ago
Nah, "spacial safety" is a term of art among security folks and among PL folks who work on security. It's the part of memory safety that's just about bounds. You can also call it "bounds safety" and folks will understand what you mean, but "spacial safety" is the more commonly used jargon.

I'll say. > Attackers regularly exploit spatial memory safety vulnerabilities, which occur when code accesses a memory allocation outside of its intended bounds Isn't that... 'out of bounds memory access'?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
SAI_Peregrinus 2y ago
Yes. It's as opposed to temporal memory safety vulnerabilities, like use-after-free or data races.
moyix 2y ago
[This is more of a reply to a deleted reply to you, but I don't want my efforts to go to waste] Spatial memory safety is a reasonably common term in the security / PL field. You can see examples of it being used at least as far back as 2009: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=spatial+memory+safety&btnG= https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=spa... It's in contrast to temporal memory safety, which deals with object lifetimes (use after free, for example). Here Google is probably also referencing a 2022 post of theirs with a very similar title, dealing with temporal safety: https://security.googleblog.com/2022/05/retrofitting-temporal-memory-safety-on-c.html https://security.googleblog.com/2022/05/retrofitting-tempora... The terms are also in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_safety#Classification_of_memory_safety_errors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_safety#Classification_o...

aseipp 2y ago

People (both practitioners & researchers) have been using the terms "temporal" and "spatial" to refer to different classes of C++ vulnerabilities for at least 12+ years, back when I was actually writing exploits for a job. It is not new at all, and anyone in the field within the past 6-7 years and worth their salt will instantly recognize them.

tom_ 2y ago
For whatever it's worth, I've been doing this stupid shit - writing C++, that is - for 25 years, and this is the first time I've heard this term. (This is a data point rather than a complaint. But for a fee, it can become a complaint if you would like.)
- aseipp 2y ago
  I meant security engineers/exploiters actually, but yeah, I can see how most working C++ programmers who aren't security specialists might not be as familiar with it.

epage 2y ago

This term is coming up more frequently in the C++ community as they discuss Rust's safety features so to add more nuance to the discussion and focus on subsets of the problem to solve. Note that there are some more heated takes on where these terms are being used. I tried to be as generous as possible in my description.

pizlonator 2y ago

Nah, "spacial safety" is a term of art among security folks and among PL folks who work on security. It's the part of memory safety that's just about bounds. You can also call it "bounds safety" and folks will understand what you mean, but "spacial safety" is the more commonly used jargon.