Determining integrity-driven error types in memory buffer devices

A memory buffer device comprising:

• an in-line memory encryption (IME) circuit to detect an error in a message authentication code (MAC) associated with data stored in volatile memory coupled to the memory buffer device;
• and
• security logic coupled to the IME circuit, wherein the security logic is to:
• track information about historical MAC verification failures and historical ECC corrected errors;
• and
• differentiate the error between a first type of error caused by an attack on the volatile memory and a second type of error caused by an uncorrected error.

A memory module that supports a remote memory protocol, the memory module comprising:

• one or more volatile memory devices;
• an encryption circuit to generate a message authentication code (MAC) to be stored with each cache line and verify the MAC when accessing the respective cache line;
• an error correction code (ECC) circuit to generate ECC information to be stored with each cache line, wherein the ECC circuit is to detect up to a first specified number of errors in a cache line and correct up to a second specified number of errors in the cache line using the ECC information;
• and
• security logic coupled to the encryption circuit and the ECC circuit, wherein the security logic is to:
• detect an error, uncorrected by the ECC circuit, in a first cache line using a first MAC of the first cache line;
• determine whether the error is caused by an attack on the first cache line or a MAC verification failure caused by an ECC escape;
• and
• perform an action responsive to the error being caused by the attack.