# ARM MTE support available for Pixel 8 userspace and kernel

> **Key takeaway:** The Pixel 8's Tensor G3 hardware supports ARM Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) for improved security against memory flaws.

**Published:** 2023-10-26T19:19:46+00:00 
**Source:** Kees Cook (Linux Kernel Security) 
**Category:** pioneer-voices 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/enable-mte-on-pixel-8.html 

## Summary
The Tensor G3 chip in the Pixel 8 supports ARM Memory Tagging Extension (MTE), providing a defense against linear buffer overflows and use-after-free vulnerabilities. While userspace MTE can be enabled via Android Developer options, kernel-level MTE requires manual configuration using adb to set the 'arm64.memtag.bootctl' property.

## Enabling MTE on Pixel 8
- Userspace MTE is toggled via **Settings > System > Developer options > Memory Tagging Extension**.
- Kernel MTE is implemented using **Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN)** in Hardware Tagging mode.
- Enabling kernel support requires setting the Android system property `arm64.memtag.bootctl` to include `memtag,memtag-kernel` via **adb shell setprop**.
- Verification of kernel MTE can be performed by checking for `kasan=on` in the kernel command line via a bugreport.

## Why it matters
This brings hardware-level memory safety features to consumer mobile devices, potentially reducing the impact of common memory corruption exploits.