A Tutorial on Oblivious Random Access Memory

Elaine Shi; Srinivas Devadas

Paper 2026/2852

A Tutorial on Oblivious Random Access Memory

Elaine Shi, Carnegie Mellon University

Srinivas Devadas

Abstract

Abstract—Oblivious RAM (ORAM) is a key technique for pro- tecting memory access patterns in systems with untrusted mem- ory, including secure processors, trusted execution environments, and multi-party computation. This article presents a tutorial overview of ORAM concepts and designs from an algorithmic and cryptographic perspective. We review the security goals and threat models underlying ORAM, describe the most popular ORAM constructions and their core mechanisms, and discuss practical considerations for implementing ORAM. The tutorial aims to provide readers with a clear foundation for understanding ORAM-based memory protection and its applications.

Metadata

Available format(s): PDF
Category: Foundations
Publication info: Published elsewhere. Minor revision. SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE (to appear)
Keywords: Oblivious RAM
Contact author(s): elaineshi @ cmu edu
devadas @ mit edu
History: 2026-11-12: revised; 2026-11-10: received; See all versions
Short URL: https://ia.cr/2026/2852
License: CC BY

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2026/2852,
      author = {Elaine Shi and Srinivas Devadas},
      title = {A Tutorial on Oblivious Random Access Memory},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2026/2852},
      year = {2026},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2852}
}