Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that include cache operation storage circuitry that selectively enables/disables the Cache Line Flush (CLFLUSH) operation. The cache operation storage circuitry may also selectively replace the CLFLUSH operation with one or more replacement operations that provide similar functionality but beneficially and advantageously prevent an attacker from placing processor cache circuitry in a known state during a timing-based, side channel attack such as Spectre or Meltdown. The cache operation storage circuitry includes model specific registers (MSRs) that contain information used to determine whether to enable/disable CLFLUSH functionality. The cache operation storage circuitry may include model specific registers (MSRs) that contain information used to select appropriate replacement operations such as Cache Line Demote (CLDEMOTE) and/or Cache Line Write Back (CLWB) to selectively replace CLFLUSH operations.

Abstract: An embodiment of a semiconductor apparatus may include technology to receive an application-related checkpoint request corresponding to a file of a file system stored on a persistent storage media, and determine one or more checkpoint operations internal to the persistent storage media to perform the application-related checkpoint request. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Detailed are embodiments related to bit matrix multiplication in a processor. For example, in some embodiments a processor comprising: decode circuitry to decode an instruction have fields for an opcode, an identifier of a first source bit matrix, an identifier of a second source bit matrix, an identifier of a destination bit matrix, and an immediate; and execution circuitry to execute the decoded instruction to perform a multiplication of a matrix of S-bit elements of the identified first source bit matrix with S-bit elements of the identified second source bit matrix, wherein the multiplication and accumulation operations are selected by the operation selector and store a result of the matrix multiplication into the identified destination bit matrix, wherein S indicates a plural bit size is described.

Abstract: Technologies are provided in embodiments for using compiling techniques to harden software programs from branching exploits. One example includes program instructions for execution to obtain a first encoded instruction of a software program, the first encoded instruction including a first opcode in a first field to be performed when the first encoded instruction is executed, identify a vulnerable value in a second field within the first encoded instruction, where the vulnerable value includes a second opcode, determine that the first encoded instruction can be replaced with one or more alternative encoded instructions that do not contain the vulnerable value, and replace the first encoded instruction with the one or more alternative encoded instructions.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for preventing or mitigating the effects of a cache-timing based side channel attack, such as a Meltdown type attack. In response to a speculatively executed data access by an unretired or incomplete instruction, rather than transferring data to the CPU cache, the data is instead transferred to data transfer buffer circuitry where the data is held in the form of a record until the instruction requesting the data is successfully completed or retired. Upon retirement of the instruction requesting the data access, the data included in the record may be transferred to the CPU cache. Each record held in the data transfer buffer circuitry may include: a data source identifier; a physical/virtual address of the data; a cache line that includes the data; and an instruction identifier associated with the instruction initiating the data access.

Abstract: A combination of hardware monitoring and binary translation software allow detection of return-oriented programming (ROP) exploits with low overhead and low false positive rates. Embodiments may use various forms of hardware to detect ROP exploits and indicate the presence of an anomaly to a device driver, which may collect data and pass the indication of the anomaly to the binary translation software to instrument the application code and determine whether an ROP exploit has been detected. Upon detection of the ROP exploit, the binary translation software may indicate the ROP exploit to an anti-malware software, which may take further remedial action as desired.

Abstract: Techniques related to coding data including techniques for speech recognition using a dynamic dictionary are generally described.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for efficiently reclaiming demoted cache lines. For example, one embodiment of a processor comprises: a cache hierarchy including at least one Level 1 (L1) cache and one or more lower level caches; a decoder to decode a cache line (CL) demote instruction specifying at least a first cache line; and execution circuitry to demote the first cache line responsive to the CL demote instruction, the execution circuitry to implement a writeback operation on the first cache line if the first cache line has been modified and homed in a specified memory tier or a default memory tier specified in a register.

Abstract: Detailed are embodiments related to bit matrix multiplication in a processor. For example, in some embodiments a processor comprising: decode circuitry to decode an instruction have fields for an opcode, an identifier of a first source bit matrix, an identifier of a second source bit matrix, an identifier of a destination bit matrix, and an immediate; and execution circuitry to execute the decoded instruction to perform a multiplication of a matrix of S-bit elements of the identified first source bit matrix with S-bit elements of the identified second source bit matrix, wherein the multiplication and accumulation operations are selected by the operation selector and store a result of the matrix multiplication into the identified destination bit matrix, wherein S indicates a plural bit size is described.

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments relate to encoded inline capabilities. In one example, a system includes a trusted execution environment (TEE) to partition an address space within a memory into a plurality of compartments each associated with code to execute a function, the TEE further to assign a message object in a heap to each compartment, receive a request from a first compartment to send a message block to a specified destination compartment, respond to the request by authenticating the request, generating a corresponding encoded capability, conveying the encoded capability to the destination compartment, and scheduling the destination compartment to respond to the request, and subsequently, respond to a check capability request from the destination compartment by checking the encoded capability and, when the check passes, providing a memory address to access the message block, and, otherwise, generating a fault, wherein each compartment is isolated from other compartments.

Abstract: Techniques and apparatus for preventing unauthorized use of an image capture device are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may include an image capture unit operative to capture images from incident light incident on at least a portion of the image capture unit, a privacy assembly operative to prevent the image capture unit from generating a clear image responsive to a privacy active signal, and logic coupled to the privacy assembly, the logic to generate the privacy active signal responsive to the image capture unit being inactive. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein including a monitoring system an image sensor to obtain image data of a device and a governor to cause the image sensor to obtain image data of the device, to form an impression from the image data, to use the impression and the image data to determine a verdict.

Abstract: Data is mirrored in persistent memory in nodes in a computer cluster for redundancy. The data can be recovered from the persistent memory in a failed node by another node in the computer cluster through a low power network interface in the failed node.

Abstract: A combination of hardware monitoring and binary translation software allow detection of return-oriented programming (ROP) exploits with low overhead and low false positive rates. Embodiments may use various forms of hardware to detect ROP exploits and indicate the presence of an anomaly to a device driver, which may collect data and pass the indication of the anomaly to the binary translation software to instrument the application code and determine whether an ROP exploit has been detected. Upon detection of the ROP exploit, the binary translation software may indicate the ROP exploit to an anti-malware software, which may take further remedial action as desired.

Abstract: Technologies for packet forwarding under ingress queue overflow conditions includes a computing device configured to receive a network packet from another computing device, determine whether a global packet buffer of the NIC is full, and determine, in response to a determination that the global packet buffer is full, whether to forward all the global packet buffer entries. The computing device is additionally configured to compare, in response to a determination not to forward all the global packet buffer entries, a selection filter to one or more characteristics of the received network packet and forward, in response to a determination that the selection filter matches the one or more characteristics of the received network packet, the received network packet to a predefined output. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: A processor of an aspect includes a decode unit to decode an instruction. The instruction is to indicate a destination memory address information. An execution unit is coupled with the decode unit. The execution unit, in response to the decode of the instruction, is to store memory addresses, for at least all initial writes to corresponding data items, which are to occur after the instruction in original program order, to a memory address log. A start of the memory address log is to correspond to the destination memory address information. Other processors, methods, systems, and instructions are also disclosed.

Abstract: An embodiment of an electronic processing apparatus may include a database constructor to construct a dependency database of deployed components in an environment, a vulnerability tracer to trace a vulnerability against the dependency database and to determine one or more affected deployed components based on the trace, and a vulnerability resolver to retrieve environment-specific rules based on the determined one or more affected deployed components and to prioritize mitigation of the vulnerability for the one or more affected deployed components based at least in part on the retrieved environment-specific rules.

Abstract: A network interface device (NID) interfaced with a host machine communicates with a local link of the host machine to obtain transaction-specific data relied upon by the host machine to be delivered to a destination by the NID according to a reliable message delivery protocol. The NID conducts communications over a network in response to obtaining of the transaction-specific data, with the network communications including execution of the reliable message delivery protocol independent of any operability of the host machine.

Abstract: A method to perform atomic transactions in non-volatile memory (NVM) under hardware transactional memory is disclosed. The method includes tracking an order among transaction log entries that includes arranging transaction logs in an order that is based on when corresponding transactions were executed.

Abstract: Detailed are embodiments related to bit matrix multiplication in a processor. For example, in some embodiments a processor comprising: decode circuitry to decode an instruction have fields for an opcode, an identifier of a first source bit matrix, an identifier of a second source bit matrix, an identifier of a destination bit matrix, and an immediate; and execution circuitry to execute the decoded instruction to perform a multiplication of a matrix of S-bit elements of the identified first source bit matrix with S-bit elements of the identified second source bit matrix, wherein the multiplication and accumulation operations are selected by the operation selector and store a result of the matrix multiplication into the identified destination bit matrix, wherein S indicates a plural bit size is described.