FEDORA plans to enable shadow stack protection by default in version 46, targeting 64-bit x86 systems to enhance security against return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. This feature was originally intended for Fedora 45 but was delayed due to compatibility issues with NVIDIA drivers and certain Python applications. Shadow stack is part of Intel's Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) that maintains a protected copy of function return addresses to detect memory tampering.
While most system components already support this functionality, users may experience compatibility issues with third-party software that does not support shadow stack. Additionally, support for indirect branch tracking (IBT) is not currently included in this rollout.