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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchAddress Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is a security mitigation that changes the virtual-memory locations of selected parts of a program or operating system. Because an exploit may need a dependable address for code or data, changing those locations makes address-dependent attacks less reliable. ASLR raises the difficulty of exploitation; it does not fix the vulnerability or guarantee that an attack will fail.
How ASLR makes an exploit less reliable
A running program uses virtual addresses: locations its process sees for code, libraries, stacks, heaps, and other mapped regions. An attacker exploiting a memory-corruption flaw may try to redirect execution to a useful function or find data at a known location. If those locations stay predictable, an address-dependent exploit can be more dependable.
ASLR varies the starting locations of selected regions. An address that worked in one run may point somewhere different in another, so an exploit based on guessing or reusing that address can fail. Ubuntu’s ASLR documentation describes the Linux kernel randomizing initial process layout, including the stack and heap, while the ELF loader randomizes executable and shared-library locations.
This uncertainty is not an absolute barrier. Its value depends on which regions are randomized, how much variation is available, and whether an attacker can learn the addresses through an information leak. Linux kernel guidance notes that nondeterministic kernel locations increase exploit difficulty, while address disclosures can reveal locations an attacker wants to use (Linux kernel self-protection documentation).
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What ASLR does—and does not—randomize
ASLR does not necessarily move every object or randomize every part of memory. The affected regions and timing vary by operating system, configuration, executable format, and platform. Common targets include the stack, heap, executable image, shared libraries, memory-mapped regions, and, separately, kernel memory.
- Stack: memory used for function calls and local variables.
- Heap: memory allocated dynamically while a program runs.
- Executable and libraries: program code and shared components that may contain useful functions.
- Other mappings: regions such as the vDSO on Linux.
The executable must support relocation for its own base address to vary. On Linux, position-independent executables (PIE) are commonly built with options such as -fPIE -pie; the Ubuntu documentation explains that such executables can be loaded at different locations. Randomization of libraries or other mappings is a separate matter and does not, by itself, mean every executable image is relocatable.
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Linux: process ASLR and kernel KASLR
User-process settings
On Ubuntu, /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space controls the documented process-layout setting:
| Value | Documented effect |
|---|---|
| 0 | Disables ASLR. |
| 1 | Randomizes the stack, mmap base, and vDSO. |
| 2 | Adds heap randomization to the regions covered by value 1. |
Ubuntu’s documentation says value 2 is the default on most systems when CONFIG_COMPAT_BRK is disabled; value 1 is the default when that option is enabled. These are configuration-dependent Ubuntu details, not a universal default for every Linux distribution or machine. The setting and region list are described in the Ubuntu Security Documentation.
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Kernel-space KASLR
Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization (KASLR) is distinct from user-process ASLR. Linux documentation describes randomizing kernel physical and virtual bases at boot, as well as offsets for module bases, kernel stack bases, and dynamic-memory bases. It also describes structure-layout randomization as a per-build measure, rather than the same per-process or per-boot mechanism. Kernel address leaks can weaken these protections (Linux kernel self-protection documentation).
How implementations differ across platforms
Windows
Microsoft documents several Windows exploit-protection controls. Mandatory ASLR forces images to be rebased, but rebasing alone can place an image at a predictable location. Microsoft therefore describes pairing it with Bottom-up ASLR, which adds entropy to allocation locations. The available entropy is constrained by address-space size, particularly for 32-bit applications. Microsoft also warns of compatibility issues in software that truncates pointers into 32-bit variables while expecting addresses below 4 GB.
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Microsoft’s reference documents 24 bits of entropy (1 TB of variance) for the high-entropy Bottom-up allocation option on 64-bit applications. That figure applies to this particular setting; it is not a universal Windows ASLR value or a cross-platform measure. See Microsoft’s Exploit protection reference.
Apple mobile platforms
Apple’s platform-security guide says iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS use ASLR as part of runtime security. It describes randomizing executable code, system libraries, and related constructs, and says Xcode and the iOS/iPadOS development environments automatically compile third-party programs with ASLR support enabled. Apple presents ASLR alongside sandboxing, entitlements, and Execute Never protections, rather than as a standalone guarantee (Apple Platform Security, published December 19, 2024).
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What determines ASLR’s practical strength
- Which locations move: Randomizing a stack is not the same as randomizing a main executable, libraries, or kernel regions.
- When the locations change: Some choices vary per process execution; kernel bases may vary at boot; structure layout can be randomized per build.
- How much address space is available: The range of possible locations and implementation choices determine practical uncertainty. A bit count from one platform or setting should not be applied to another.
- Whether an attacker can disclose addresses: A memory or information leak may expose the locations that randomization is intended to obscure.
- Compatibility constraints: Higher-entropy layouts can conflict with programs that make assumptions about pointer width or address ranges.
A 2024 empirical study by Binosi, Barzasi, Carminati, Zanero, and Polino compared Linux, macOS, and Windows implementations. Its abstract reports differences among the tested platforms, limitations for some tested areas, and a reduction in library entropy after Linux 5.18. Those findings apply to the versions and methods examined in that study, not automatically to every current installation (ACM CCS 2024 study).
Why ASLR is only one layer of defense
ASLR changes the odds for attacks that need predictable addresses; it does not remove the underlying memory-safety flaw. Other techniques, address disclosures, or weaknesses in the implementation may still allow exploitation. Microsoft characterizes security features as potentially providing protection without a robust defense in every case (Windows Security Servicing Criteria).
For that reason, ASLR belongs in defense in depth alongside protections such as non-executable memory, compiler and runtime mitigations, sandboxing, and secure coding practices. Apple explicitly places ASLR within a broader runtime-security model that includes sandboxing and Execute Never. The goal is layered resistance: reduce the chances that one flaw can be turned into reliable code execution, while still fixing the flaw itself.
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