L1TF Foreshadow CPU Vulnerabilities Analysis and Mitigation

This paper analyzes a recently discovered vulnerability in modern computer CPU architectures affecting Intel, AMD, and ARM. These processors use built in optimizers such Speculative Execution which have a design flaw that allows access to restricted kernel memory spaces. Exploits such as Spectre can utilize newfound CPU design flaws to obtain confidential data. This defect has affected millions of devices, from PCs and cell phones to hypervisors that make up the fabric of cloud infrastructure. It's possible for malicious actors to obtain private data using side channel attacks, that exist in the Levell cache to read data; even allowing attacks to be injected from JavaScript upon visiting a website. In this paper, we will demonstrate experimentally the weaknesses in the processor design by extracting private data using the Meltdown exploit and accessing the kernel space to retrieve data before the protect bit is read by the instruction set.