Microsoft Corporation
SPECULATIVE SIDE-CHANNEL ATTACK MITIGATIONS

Abstract:

Preventing the observation of the side effects of mispredicted speculative execution flows using speculation buffering. A microprocessor comprises one or more speculation buffers that are separated from and correspond to one or more conventional buffers. The microprocessor records first effects of one or more speculatively-executed instructions to the one or more speculation buffers, and records second effects of non-speculatively-executed instructions to the one or more conventional buffers. The microprocessor commits the first effects from the one or more speculation buffers to the one or more conventional buffers when the one or more speculatively-executed instructions that generated the first effects are committed, and discards the first effects from the one or more speculation buffers when the one or more speculatively-executed instructions are cancelled.