How is virtual system space protected against access?












1















On Microsoft Docs I read:




In 64-bit Windows, the theoretical amount of virtual address space is 2^64 bytes (16 exabytes), but only a small portion of the 16-exabyte range is actually used. The 8-terabyte range from 0x000'00000000 through 0x7FF'FFFFFFFF is used for user space, and portions of the 248-terabyte range from 0xFFFF0800'00000000 through 0xFFFFFFFF'FFFFFFFF are used for system space.




Since I have 64 bit pointers, I could possibly construct a pointer that points to some 0xFFFFxxxxxxxxxxxx address.



The site continues:




Code running in user mode has access to user space but does not have access to system space.




If I wereable to guess a valid address in system virtual address space, what mechanism prevents me from writing there?



I know about memory protection but that doesn't seem to offer something that distinguishes between user memory and system memory.










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:31











  • @RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

    – Thomas Weller
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:32






  • 2





    look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:35






  • 2





    HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:43
















1















On Microsoft Docs I read:




In 64-bit Windows, the theoretical amount of virtual address space is 2^64 bytes (16 exabytes), but only a small portion of the 16-exabyte range is actually used. The 8-terabyte range from 0x000'00000000 through 0x7FF'FFFFFFFF is used for user space, and portions of the 248-terabyte range from 0xFFFF0800'00000000 through 0xFFFFFFFF'FFFFFFFF are used for system space.




Since I have 64 bit pointers, I could possibly construct a pointer that points to some 0xFFFFxxxxxxxxxxxx address.



The site continues:




Code running in user mode has access to user space but does not have access to system space.




If I wereable to guess a valid address in system virtual address space, what mechanism prevents me from writing there?



I know about memory protection but that doesn't seem to offer something that distinguishes between user memory and system memory.










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:31











  • @RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

    – Thomas Weller
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:32






  • 2





    look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:35






  • 2





    HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:43














1












1








1








On Microsoft Docs I read:




In 64-bit Windows, the theoretical amount of virtual address space is 2^64 bytes (16 exabytes), but only a small portion of the 16-exabyte range is actually used. The 8-terabyte range from 0x000'00000000 through 0x7FF'FFFFFFFF is used for user space, and portions of the 248-terabyte range from 0xFFFF0800'00000000 through 0xFFFFFFFF'FFFFFFFF are used for system space.




Since I have 64 bit pointers, I could possibly construct a pointer that points to some 0xFFFFxxxxxxxxxxxx address.



The site continues:




Code running in user mode has access to user space but does not have access to system space.




If I wereable to guess a valid address in system virtual address space, what mechanism prevents me from writing there?



I know about memory protection but that doesn't seem to offer something that distinguishes between user memory and system memory.










share|improve this question
















On Microsoft Docs I read:




In 64-bit Windows, the theoretical amount of virtual address space is 2^64 bytes (16 exabytes), but only a small portion of the 16-exabyte range is actually used. The 8-terabyte range from 0x000'00000000 through 0x7FF'FFFFFFFF is used for user space, and portions of the 248-terabyte range from 0xFFFF0800'00000000 through 0xFFFFFFFF'FFFFFFFF are used for system space.




Since I have 64 bit pointers, I could possibly construct a pointer that points to some 0xFFFFxxxxxxxxxxxx address.



The site continues:




Code running in user mode has access to user space but does not have access to system space.




If I wereable to guess a valid address in system virtual address space, what mechanism prevents me from writing there?



I know about memory protection but that doesn't seem to offer something that distinguishes between user memory and system memory.







windows security kernel






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Nov 15 '18 at 15:27







Thomas Weller

















asked Nov 15 '18 at 15:21









Thomas WellerThomas Weller

29k1066138




29k1066138








  • 2





    you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:31











  • @RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

    – Thomas Weller
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:32






  • 2





    look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:35






  • 2





    HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:43














  • 2





    you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:31











  • @RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

    – Thomas Weller
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:32






  • 2





    look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:35






  • 2





    HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

    – RbMm
    Nov 15 '18 at 15:43








2




2





you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:31





you need read about Paging (x86/x64) and PTE format. the Bit 2 (U/S) is the User/Supervisor flag - controls access to the page based on privilege level. If the bit is set, then the page may be accessed by all; if the bit is not set, however, only the kernel mode (0) can access it.

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:31













@RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

– Thomas Weller
Nov 15 '18 at 15:32





@RbMm: great. If you cite a bit from some resource, that's enough for me to accept the answer

– Thomas Weller
Nov 15 '18 at 15:32




2




2





look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:35





look for intel or amd manuals - paging. or in brief - Paging or cs.hadassah.ac.il/staff/martin/Micro_Modern/slide03.pdf

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:35




2




2





HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:43





HARDWARE_PTE - if Owner == 1 user mode (privilege level 3 by cpu view) can access page (of couse Valid must be set). otherwise cpu generate exception

– RbMm
Nov 15 '18 at 15:43












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