Secure Coding in C and C++

This course concentrates on security issues intrinsic to the C and C++
programming languages and associated libraries. You will learn to identify
vulnerabilities ensuing from common security flaws including:

• Insecure Integer operations
• Undefined behaviors
• Memory safety

This course covers specific remediation techniques for each category of
security flaws as well as general secure coding practices that help
prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities.

Material in this presentation was derived from the Addison-Wesley books
Secure Coding in C and C++ and The CERT C Secure Coding Standard.

Agenda

Day 1: Integers

• Integer Types
• Integer Data Types
  • Unsigned integer types
  • Wraparound
  • Signed integer types
  • Signed integer ranges
  • Overflow
  • Character types
  • Other integer types
• Integer Conversions
  • Integer conversion rank
  • Integer promotions
  • Usual arithmetic conversions
  • Conversions to unsigned integer types
  • Conversions to signed integer types
  • Conversion implications
• Integer Operations
  • Addition
  • Multiplication
  • Division/remainder
  • Right shift
• Exercise: Reviewing Code for Integer Defects
  • Integer Vulnerabilities
  • Wrap around
  • Conversion error
  • Truncation
  • Non-exceptional
• Mitigation Strategies
  • Integer type selection
  • Safe integer operations
  • Compiler Strategies
  • Testing and reviews
• Summary
  

Day 2: Dangerous Optimizations & Dynamic Memory

• Compiler Optimizations
  • Constant Folding
  • Adding a Pointer and an Integer
  • Integer Overflow
  • GCC Options
  • Volatile
  • Strict Aliasing
  • Optimization Suggestions
  • Null pointer
  • Uninitialized Reads
  • C11 Analyzability Annex
  • Summary and Recommendations

Dynamic Memory

• Commo Dynamic Memory Management Errors
• Doug Lea's Memory Allocator
• Buffer Overflows
• Double-free
• Mitigation strategies
• Exercise: Finding memory errors
  

Who should attend
Secure Coding in C and C++ is useful to anyone involved in the development
or maintenance of software in C and C++. If you are a:

• C or C++ programmer, this book will teach you how to identify common
  programming errors that result in software vulnerabilities, understand
  how these errors are exploited, and implement a solution in a secure
  fashion.
• Software project manager, this book identifies the risks and
  consequences of software vulnerabilities to guide investments in
  developing secure software.
• Computer science student, this book will teach you programming
  practices that will help you to avoid developing bad habits and enable
  you to develop secure programs during your professional career.
• Security analyst, this book provides a detailed description of common
  vulnerabilities, identifies ways to detect these vulnerabilities, and
  offers practical avoidance strategies.
  
  

Pre-requisites
The course assumes basic C and C++ programming skills, but does not assume
an in-depth knowledge of software security. The ideas presented apply to
various development environments, but the examples are specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio and Linux/GCC and the Intel Architecture.

Software to install
Students are also encouraged to bring their own C and C++ programming
language development environments (compiler, editor, etc.), such as
Microsoft Visual Studio, Xcode, GCC, or Clang.