Identifying Security Vulnerabilities in C/C++Programming

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/identifying-security-vulnerabilities-c-programming

Introduction

### Course Review: Identifying Security Vulnerabilities in C/C++ Programming In a world where security breaches and cyber threats are a constant concern, understanding the vulnerabilities in programming languages is crucial for software developers and cybersecurity professionals alike. Coursera's course, **"Identifying Security Vulnerabilities in C/C++ Programming,"** is a specialized offering designed to deepen your understanding of secure coding practices, particularly within the C and C++ programming environments. #### Overview This course serves as a continuation of the foundational skills established in the earlier courses of the specialization: **Principles of Secure Coding** and **Identifying Security Vulnerabilities.** By leveraging focused techniques that encourage learners to think critically about potential security risks, the course equips participants with the tools needed to evaluate and remediate fragile C++ library code. The curriculum is carefully structured, emphasizing both theoretical understanding and practical application. Throughout the course, students are engaged in addressing common vulnerabilities and are taught to think proactively about security measures. #### Course Syllabus Breakdown 1. **Users, Privileges, and Environment Variables** - Participants will begin their journey by understanding how to manage users and their privileges in a Linux (and UNIX-like) environment. Students will gain insights into how program shells preserve environment settings, and the complexities introduced by multiple versions of the PATH variable. This foundational knowledge is critical for controlling access and ensuring secure programming practices. 2. **Validation and Verification, Buffer and Numeric Overflows, and Input Injections** - This module dives into the essential practices of input validation and verification, guiding students to prevent buffer and numeric overflows — a common pitfall in programming. A thorough exploration of input injections, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection, demonstrates the importance of scrutinizing inputs to avoid disastrous security breaches. With real-world examples, learners can appreciate the consequences of neglecting this critical aspect of coding. 3. **Files, Subprocesses, and Race Conditions** - Understanding file management and subprocess interactions is vital for creating robust applications. In this section, students learn to create subprocesses and shell scripts while becoming adept at identifying and preventing race conditions in their programs—an often overlooked vulnerability that can lead to severe security issues. 4. **Randomness, Cryptography, and Other Topics** - The final module introduces concepts of randomness, the crucial differences between pseudo-randomness and true randomness, and the application of these principles in code. It emphasizes the importance of cryptography and the use of trusted libraries instead of attempting to develop these solutions in-house. This section also covers best practices for handling sensitive information, including password management and error handling in security-sensitive applications. Practical exercises, such as hashing passwords and guessing another one, solidify the learning experience. #### Recommendations **Who Should Take This Course?** - Software Developers: Especially those working with C/C++, who want to fortify their applications against vulnerable coding practices. - Cybersecurity Professionals: Individuals seeking to enhance their skill set in vulnerability assessment within software applications. - Computer Science Students: Students looking to specialize in secure coding and seeking a deeper foundation in practical security measures. **What You Will Gain:** - A solid understanding of how to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities prevalent in C/C++ programming. - Practical skills that can be directly applied to real-world coding scenarios. - Confidence in handling security issues, thereby increasing the safety and integrity of the software produced. ### Conclusion In conclusion, **"Identifying Security Vulnerabilities in C/C++ Programming"** is a must-take course for anyone who is serious about enhancing their programming skills with security in mind. By arming yourself with the knowledge and practices taught in this course, you can develop more secure applications that stand resilient against threats. The course's comprehensive syllabus, combined with thoughtful analysis and real-world application, ensures that participants are not merely passive learners but proactive coders who understand the importance of secure coding practices. I highly recommend enrolling in this course to elevate your coding expertise and security awareness.

Syllabus

Users, Privileges, and Environment Variables

In this module, you will be able to manage users and privileges when you run programs or sub-programs. You will be able to identify and use the different types of privileges on a Linux (and UNIX-like) system. You'll be able to identify how program shells preserve environment settings. You will be able to examine how your shell (or other program that uses the PATH variable) deals with multiple versions of that variable.

In this module, you will be able to breakdown how the process of checking inputs, known as validation and verification works. You will be able to avoid and buffer numeric overflows in your programs. You will be able to discover what happens when you call functions with parameters that cause overflows. And finally, you will be able to detect various input injections such as cross-site scripting and SQL injections and be able to describe the consequences of not examining input.

In this module, you will be able to describe how files and subprocesses interact and be able to create subprocesses and shell scripts. You will also be able to identify and prevent race conditions in your programs and practice cleaning out environments to make them safe for untrusted subprocesses.

In this module you will be able to distinguish between pseudo-randomness and actual randomness. You will be able to apply randomness in the coding environment and generate random numbers and look at their distribution. You'll be able to identify and describe how and why cryptography is used, as well as why you should use trusted cryptography code libraries instead of crafting your own solution. You will be able to analyze and consider best practices for handling sensitive information, passwords, crypto keys, how to handle errors in security sensitive programs, and how to defend against string attacks. You will be able to hash a password and then try to guess another one. You will be able to practice cleaning out environments to make them safe for untrusted subprocesses, as well as practice handling integer overflow.