Executable Space Protection

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Executable space protection is a technology that prevents the operating system and applications from using certain portions of the memory to execute code.

• protects against attacks like buffer overflows

How it Works

Many operating systems also use address space layout randomization (ASLR), a technique that shifts the contents of the memory in use around so that tampering with it is even more difficult.

Components

Executable space protection requires two components:

• hardware component
  • CPU manufacturers, Intel and AMD, have executable space protection components
• software component
  • OS developers, Microsoft, Apple, and Linux, implement the software component