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Attacking the Linux Kernel

$4,299.00

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Duration

4 days

Delivery Method

virtual

Level

intermediate

Seats Available

20

Duration

4 days

Delivery Method

virtual

Level

intermediate

REGISTRATION CLOSED

DATE: 21-24 August 2023

TIME: 09:00 to 17:00 ICT/GMT+7

Date Day Time Duration
21 Aug Monday 0900-17:00 ICT/GMT+7 8 Hours
22 Aug Tuesday 0900-17:00 ICT/GMT+7 8 Hours
23 Aug Wednesday 0900-17:00 ICT/GMT+7 8 Hours
24 Aug Thursday 0900-17:00 ICT/GMT+7 8 Hours
This training guides researchers through the field of Linux kernel security. In a series of exercise-driven labs, the training explores the process of finding, assessing, and exploiting kernel bugs in a modern Linux distribution on the x86-64 architecture.

Besides providing a foundation for writing Linux kernel exploits, the training covers the no-less important areas of finding kernel bugs and evaluating their security impact. This includes chapters on using and extending dynamic bug-finding tools, writing custom fuzzers, and analyzing crashes.

The training starts with the beginner topics but proceeds into a few advanced areas as well.

 

Students will be Provided With

A USB drive with:

  • Presentation slides.
  • Detailed lab guides with step-by-step instructions.
  • Virtual machine images with tools, exercise binaries, and source code.

 

Course agenda
Day 1 — Internals and Sanitizers:
  • Internals and debugging: x86-64 architecture refresher; introduction to the Linux kernel; attack surface; types of vulnerabilities; setting up a kernel debugging environment; using GDB to debug the kernel and its modules.
  • Detecting bugs: using KASAN to detect and analyze memory corruptions; KASAN internals; extending KASAN; KMSAN and other Sanitizers; reading kernel bug reports; assessing impact of kernel bugs.
Day 2 — Fuzzing:
  • General fuzzing: writing and evaluating kernel-specific fuzzing harnesses; Human-in-the-Loop fuzzing; collecting coverage with KCOV; using KCOV remote coverage; fuzzing externally-triggerable code paths.
  • Fuzzing with syzkaller: API-aware fuzzing; coverage-guided fuzzing; using syzkaller; writing syscall descriptions.

 

Day 3 — Escalating privileges and bypassing mitigations:
  • Escalating privileges: ret2usr; overwriting the cred structure; overwriting modprobe_path; kernel stack buffer overflows; arbitrary address execution and arbitrary read/write primitives.
  • Bypassing mitigations: KASLR, SMEP, SMAP, and KPTI bypass techniques; in-kernel Return-Oriented Programming (ROP); out-of-bounds vulnerabilities; information leaks.

 

Day 4 — Exploiting slab corruptions:
  • Exploiting basic slab corruptions: slab out-of-bounds and use-after-free vulnerabilities; slab-specific mitigations; slab spraying; data-only exploitation; the unlinking attack.
  • Modern slab exploitation techniques: userfaultfd and FUSE; elastic objects; cross-cache corruptions.
    Beyond: learning advanced exploitation techniques; useful references.

Why You Should Take This Course

This training guides researchers through the field of Linux kernel security. In a series of exercise-driven labs, the training explores the process of finding, assessing, and exploiting kernel bugs in a modern Linux distribution on the x86-64 architecture.

Who Should Attend

The training is aimed at engineers and researchers desiring to enter or progress in the field of Linux kernel security.

Key Learning Objectives

  • Security-relevant Linux kernel internals and attack surface.

  • Practical usage of kernel dynamic bug detectors.

  • Internals and extension of Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN).

  • Writing and evaluating kernel-specific fuzzing harnesses.

  • Collecting kernel code coverage with KCOV.

  • Practical usage and basic internals of syzkaller.

  • Kernel privilege escalation techniques.

  • In-kernel Return-Oriented Programming (ROP).

  • KASLR, SMEP, SMAP, and KPTI bypasses.

  • Exploiting stack, global, and slab (heap) vulnerabilities.

  • Exploiting use-after-free (UAF) and out-of-bounds (OOB) vulnerabilities

    • Prerequisite Knowledge

    • Working C knowledge.
    • Familiarity with x86-64 architecture and x86-64 assembly.
    • Familiarity with GDB (GNU Debugger).
    • Familiarity with common types of vulnerabilities and exploitation techniques for userspace applications.
    • No knowledge about Linux kernel internals is required.

    Hardware / Software Requirements

    Hardware requirements
    • At least 100 GB of free disk space.
    • At least 12 GB of RAM.
    • Ability to plug in an untrusted USB drive (relevant for corporate laptops).
    Software requirements
    • Host OS: Linux (recommended) or Windows.
    • VMWare Workstation Player.
    • 7-Zip.

    Your Instructor

    Andrey Konovalov

    Andrey Konovalov is a security researcher focusing on the Linux kernel.

    Andrey found multiple zero-day bugs in the Linux kernel and published proof-of-concept exploits for these bugs to demonstrate the impact. Andrey is a contributor to several security-related Linux kernel subsystems and tools: KASAN — a fast dynamic bug detector, syzkaller — a production-grade kernel fuzzer, and Arm Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) — an exploit mitigation.

    Andrey spoke at security conferences such as OffensiveCon, Android Security Symposium, Linux Security Summit, LinuxCon, and PHDays. Andrey also maintains a collection of Linux kernel security–related materials and a channel on Linux kernel security.

    See xairy.io for all Andrey’s articles, talks, and projects.

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