CAP6135: Malware and Software
Vulnerability Analysis
Cliff Zou
Spring 2010
Course Information
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Teacher: Cliff Zou
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Course Webpage:
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Office: HEC335 407-823-5015
Email: czou@cs.ucf.edu
Office hour: TuTh 1pm – 3pm
TA: TBD
Course time: Tuesday/Thursday 3pm – 4:15pm
http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~czou/CAP6135/index.html
Use WebCourse for homework submissions, and grading
feedback
Online lecture video stream:
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UCF Tegrity
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http://tegrity.ucf.edu/listallcourses/listing.aspx
Recorded by myself via my Tablet PC
Video available usually two hours after each lecture
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Prerequisites
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C programming language
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Knowledge on computer architecture
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For our program projects
Know stack, heap, memory
Knowledge on OS, algorithm, networking
Basic usage of Unix machine
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We will need to use Unix machine in our
department: eustis.eecs.ucf.edu, for
programming projects
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Objectives
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Learn software vulnerability
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Underlying reason for most computer security
problems
Buffer overflow: stack, heap, integer
Buffer overflow defense:
stackguard, address randomization …
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_overflow
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How to build secure software
Software assessment, testing
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E.g., Fuzz testing
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Objectives
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Learn computer malware:
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A good resource for reading:
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Malware: malicious software
Viruses, worms, botnets
Email virus/worm, spam, phishing, pharming
Spyware, adware
Trojan, rootkits,….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware
Learn their characteristics
Learn how to detect
Learn how to defend
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Objective
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Learn state-of-art research on malware
and software security
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Paper reading/presentation for selected
milestone papers on related research topics
Lecture session students:
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Required to participate in presentation of assigned
papers, in-class discussion
Online students:
Read assigned paper, write review
 Comment on in-class student’s presentation
 Your evaluation will feedback to presenter!
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Course Materials
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No required textbook. Reference books:
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Building Secure Software: How to Avoid Security Problems the Right
Way by John Viega, Gary McGraw
Software Security: Building Security In (Addison-Wesley Software
Security Series) (Paperback) Gary McGraw
19 Deadly Sins of Software Security (Security One-off) by Michael
Howard, David LeBlanc, John Viega
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition by Jon Erickson
Reference courses:
CS161: Computer Security, By Dawn Song from UC, Berkley.
 Software Security, by Erik Poll from Radboud University Nijmegen.
 Introduction to Software Security, by Vinod Ganapathy from Rutgers
 Wikipiedia: Great resource and tutorial for initial learning
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Other references as we go on:
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First time to teach it, learn as it goes on
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Grading Guideline
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Coursework
face-to-face
 In-class presentation
20%
 In-class participation
10%
 Paper review reports
N/A
 Homework
15%
 Program projects
25%
 Final term project
30%
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online streaming
N/A
N/A
25%
20%
25%
30%
Course Assignment
– face-to-face students
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Paper presentation
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Occupy about half of the course time
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Each class will have two students present two
selected milestone papers
Students are required to participate and
provide discussion
Discussion will count in your grade!
The other half is my lecture time
Only for face-to-face students
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Course Assignment
– Online students
Write reports on 50% of presented
papers
 Provide comments on student
presentation in your reports
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Enforce online students to watch video
 Collected/Anonymized comment
feedback be accessible to everyone
 A great help to improve student
presentation
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Even if you are not the presenter
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Programming projects
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Probably will have 3 programming
projects
Example:
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Basic buffer overflow
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Software fuzz testing
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Internet worm propagation simulation
(maybe changed on this one)
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Term Project
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A research like project
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Two students as a group
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Or yourself if you cannot find a partner
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Will make you do more work
Group format help you to learn how to collaborate
Find topics by yourself
Must related to malware and software security
 Provide topic proposal one and half month later
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Result:
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Submit report in early April
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Report will look just like a research paper we read
Face-to-face students: present your project
 Online students: submit your presentation slides
with speaking notes on every page
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Questions?
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