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Day 1: Introduction to Binary Exploitation and C Basics

What is Binary Exploitation?

Binary exploitation is the art of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in software at the machine code level. This can allow attackers to gain control of a system or access sensitive data. Understanding how binaries work at a low level is crucial for developing exploits.

C Basics

Understanding the C programming language is essential for binary exploitation, as many programs, especially older ones and those interacting closely with hardware, are written in C. Key concepts include:

  • Data Types: Integers, characters, arrays, pointers, etc. Each data type has a specific size and representation in memory, which can be exploited if not handled properly.
  • Memory Management: How memory is allocated (malloc, calloc, free) and deallocated, and common mistakes like double frees and memory leaks.
  • Functions: How functions are defined, called, and how parameters are passed (stack vs. heap).
  • Control Flow: Using if, else, for, and while statements to direct the flow of execution in a program.

Theory

Introduction to Binary Exploitation

Objective: Understand the fundamental concepts of binary exploitation.

What is Binary Exploitation? Read Here

Binary exploitation involves a deep understanding of how binaries work, how data is processed, and where vulnerabilities may exist. It’s a critical skill in cybersecurity and requires a methodical approach to identify and exploit weaknesses in software.

C Programming Basics

Objective: Learn the basics of the C programming language.

C Programming Tutorial: Read Here

C is a foundational language in systems programming, and understanding its quirks, like undefined behavior and pointer arithmetic, is key to finding vulnerabilities.

Practice

Hands-On Exercise

Write a simple C program: Create a program that takes input from the user and prints it back to the console. Experiment with printf and understand how input/output functions work in C. Experiment with data types: Try using different data types (int, char, float, double, etc.) in your program. Observe how data types affect memory usage and behavior. Practice Memory Management: Write a program that dynamically allocates memory using malloc and frees it with free. Try intentionally causing a memory leak and see how it affects your program.