OVERVIEW

The course aims at making developers aware that (poorly written) programs can be exploited for malicious purposes, making them act in unintended ways. This goal is achieved by showing how binary programs can be analysed and exploited.
Moreover, the course describes how to design & write secure software, i.e., resistant to attack by malicious or mischievous people or programs.
Analysis procedures in adversarial contexts, such as malware analysis, will be also discussed.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning how to write secure code, analyze the behavior and assess security properties of source and binary programs, pinpointing and fix their vulnerabilities or apply corrective counter-measures.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• write secure code
• analyze the behavior and assess security properties of source and binary programs
• pinpoint program vulnerabilities
• fix vulnerabilities or apply corrective counter-measures.

For the 9-CFU path, students will be also able to analyze programs in adversarial contexts; e.g., malware samples.

PREREQUISITES

Proficiency in programming, familiarity with C (especially direct memory management) and operating system concepts.

TEACHING METHODS

Class lectures and project activities, which consist of some assignments.

Some topics and exercises, explicitly marked as such in the support material, are optional for students with the "6-CFU version".

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• Introduction
• What binaries are, and how they get executed
• The linking process
• Dynamic Analysis, tracing and instrumentation
• Static Analysis, reversing engineering
• Secure coding; common weaknesses and security assessment (static and dynamic analysis tools)
• Anti-analysis techniques and malware analysis
• Exploitation

Some topics and exercises, explicitly marked as such in the support material, are optional for students with the "6-CFU version".

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Support material and recommended bibliography will be available on AulaWeb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIOVANNI LAGORIO (President)

ALESSANDRO ARMANDO

MAURA CERIOLI (President Substitute)

DAVIDE ANCONA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

In agreement with the calendar approved by the Degree Program Board of Computer Science.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Hands-on session and oral discussion.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination will assess the ability of analysing programs for security vulnerabilites, developing simple exploits and applying corrective fixes.

9-CFU students may be assigned malware/malware-like samples to analyze.

Exam schedule