Code Access Security s Dependence on Validation and Verification

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Code Access Security's Dependence on Validation and Verification

Now that each of the different validation and verification technology parts of the CLR has been introduced, it is time to take a step back and review how all these checks tie back into Code Access Security. It turns out that there is a clear line of dependency between the different types of checks.

Metadata checks rely on the presence of a noncorrupted PE file. Corrupted PE files can run malicious native code before metadata checks could even begin. Therefore, there is a strong dependency between PE file format validity checks and Metadata checks. IL verification, in turn , relies both on valid IL to be present and on correct metadata. Finally, Code Access Security only works if type contracts cannot be broken, and thus depends on IL verification. Thus, .NET Framework security is the product not just of one security technology, but of a set of collections of checks all designed to enable a secure runtime environment.

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