Rustproofing Linux (Part 4/4 Shared Memory)
This is a four part blog post series that starts with Rustproofing Linux (Part 1/4 Leaking Addresses). Shared memory is often used to share data without the performance hit of copying. Whenever a shared resource is consumed by one component while being modified by another component, there is potential for Time-Of-Check-Time-Of-Use (TOCTOU) or Double Fetch […]
Rustproofing Linux (Part 3/4 Integer Overflows)
This is a four part blog post series that starts with Rustproofing Linux (Part 1/4 Leaking Addresses). In the C programming language, integer types can be a bit confusing. Portability issues can arise when the same code is used in multiple hardware architectures or operating systems. For example, int is usually 32-bit, but could also […]
Rustproofing Linux (Part 2/4 Race Conditions)
This is a four part blog post series that starts with Rustproofing Linux (Part 1/4 Leaking Addresses). This post uses a simple example to demonstrate a class of vulnerability that we encounter quite frequently when auditing kernel drivers and firmware. It’s a race condition, or more precisely a TOCTOU vulnerability. The complete vulnerable C driver […]
Rustproofing Linux (Part 1/4 Leaking Addresses)
Rust is a programming language guaranteeing memory and thread safety while still being able to access raw memory and hardware. This sounds impossible, and it is, that’s why Rust has an unsafe keyword which allows a programmer to dereference a raw pointer and perform some other dangerous operations. The dangerous code is effectively contained to […]
Using Semgrep with Jupyter Notebook files
If you frequently deliver source code review assessments of products, including machine learning components, I’m sure you are used to reviewing Jupyter Notebook files (usually python). Although I spend most of my time reviewing the source code manually, I also use static analysis tools such as semgrep, using both public and private rules. This tool […]
Whitepaper – Project Triforce: Run AFL On Everything (2017)
Six years ago, NCC Group researchers Tim Newsham and Jesse Hertz released TriforceAFL – an extension of the American Fuzzy Lop (AFL) fuzzer which supports full-system fuzzing using QEMU – but unfortunately the associated whitepaper for this work was never published. Today, we’re releasing it for the curious reader and historical archives alike. While fuzzing […]
Writing FreeBSD Kernel Modules in Rust
At present all major operating system kernels are written in C/C++, languages which provide no or minimal assistance in avoiding common security problems. Modern languages such as Rust provide better security guarantees by default and prevent many of the common classes of memory safety security bugs. In this post we will take a brief look […]
Hardware Security By Design: ESP32 Guidance
This discussion focuses on specific configuration details of the ESP32 family of microcontrollers and the recommended best practices associated with those details.
Whitepaper – Double Fetch Vulnerabilities in C and C++
Double fetch vulnerabilities in C and C++ have been known about for a number of years. However, they can appear in multiple forms and can have varying outcomes. As much of this information is spread across various sources, this whitepaper draws the knowledge together into a single place, in order to better describe the different […]
Shaking The Foundation of An Online Collaboration Tool: Microsoft 365 Top 5 Attacks vs the CIS Microsoft 365 Foundation Benchmark
As one of the proud contributors to the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Microsoft 365 Foundation Benchmark, I wanted to raise awareness about the new version release by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) released on February 17th, and how it can help a company to have a secure baseline for their Microsoft 365 tenant. […]