Cache Side-Channel Attack

[radumarias]

Problem:

• https://chatgpt.com/share/6791b802-ed68-8003-86c6-9f54e44b621e
• https://chatgpt.com/share/6791b810-9cfc-8003-93c0-5ac77cae30b0

External fixes (needs to be handled by crates using this one like rencfs does using ring and RustCrypto uso):

• Cache-Side-Channel-Resistant Crypto
  • Use constant-time implementations of encryption algorithms (avoid data-dependent lookups).
  • Avoid secret-dependent branching or table lookups.

Investigating on adding these:

• Page Isolation / Kernel Mitigations
  • Techniques like Kernel Page-Table Isolation (KPTI) reduce the kernel’s exposure to user-space meltdown-style attacks.
• Disable Shared Memory
  • Avoid sharing libraries or pages with untrusted code. This prevents easy Flush+Reload attacks.
• Flush or Fence Instructions
  • Carefully flush caches or use memory fence instructions to obscure sensitive timing patterns. This can be complex and degrade performance significantly.