https://github.com/kizzycode/ma_proper

This crate provides the cleaning memory allocator `MAProper`
https://github.com/kizzycode/ma_proper

memory-allocation memory-allocator memory-management security

Last synced: about 2 months ago
JSON representation

This crate provides the cleaning memory allocator `MAProper`

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/kizzycode/ma_proper
• Owner: KizzyCode
• Created: 2019-01-20T22:19:00.000Z (over 6 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2021-10-15T00:47:41.000Z (over 3 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-03-07T16:19:22.999Z (2 months ago)
• Topics: memory-allocation, memory-allocator, memory-management, security
• Language: Rust
• Size: 37.1 KB
• Stars: 1
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE BSD 2-CLAUSE.md

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

        
[![BSD-2-Clause License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-BSD--2--Clause-blue.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-2-Clause)

[![MIT License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

[![docs.rs](https://docs.rs/ma_proper/badge.svg)](https://docs.rs/ma_proper)

[![crates.io](https://img.shields.io/crates/v/ma_proper.svg)](https://crates.io/crates/ma_proper)

[![Download numbers](https://img.shields.io/crates/d/ma_proper.svg)](https://crates.io/crates/ma_proper)

[![dependency status](https://deps.rs/crate/ma_proper/1.0.0/status.svg)](https://deps.rs/crate/ma_proper/1.0.0)

[![Travis CI](https://travis-ci.org/KizzyCode/ma_proper.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/KizzyCode/ma_proper)

[![Appveyor CI](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/github/KizzyCode/ma_proper?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/KizzyCode/ma-proper)

# MAProper

This crate provides the securely overwriting memory allocator `MAProper` 🧹

## What is `MAProper`

`MAProper` is an extension around `std::alloc::System` which ensures that the allocated memory is

always erased before it is deallocated by using one of

`memset_s`/`SecureZeroMemory`/`explicit_bzero`/`explicit_memset`.

## Whats the purpose of `MAProper`

`MAProper` becomes handy if you're dealing with a lot of sensitive data: because the memory

management of dynamically allocating types like `Vec` or `String` is opaque, you basically have no

real chance to reliably trace and erase their sensitive contents.

However they all use the global allocator – so all ways lead to Rome (or in this case to the global

allocator's `alloc` and `dealloc` functions) – which is where `MAProper` is sitting and waiting to

take care of the discarded memory.

## Using `MAProper` as global allocator (example)

```rust

#[global_allocator]

static MA_PROPER: ma_proper::MAProper = ma_proper::MAProper;

fn main() {

	// This `Vec` will allocate memory through `MA_PROPER` above

	let mut v = Vec::new();

	v.push(1);

}

```

## Important

Please note that `MAProper` only erases memory that is deallocated properly. This especially means

that:

 - stack items are __not erased__ by this allocator – to erase stack memory, we expose

   `MAProper::erase_slice` and `MAProper::erase_ptr` so that you can erase them manually if

   necessary

 - depending on your panic-policy and your `Rc`/`Arc` use (retain-cycles), the destructor (and thus

   the deallocator) may never be called