CAP6135: Malware and Software
Vulnerability Analysis
Cliff Zou
Spring 2012
Course Information
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Teacher: Cliff Zou
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Course Webpage:
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Office: HEC243 407-823-5015
Email: czou@cs.ucf.edu
Office hour: MoWe 9:00am-11:00am
Course time: MoWe 12pm – 1:15pm
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/
Recorded via my Tablet PC in face-to-face sessions
Video available in the early evening 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 software security programming
projects
Know stack, heap, memory
For our buffer overflow programming project
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, monitoring
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
Face-to-face 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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Grading Guideline
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Coursework
face-to-face
 In-class presentation
20%
 In-class participation
10%
 Paper review reports
N/A
 Homework
10%
 Program projects
30%
 Final term project
30%
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online streaming
N/A
N/A
30%
10%
30%
30%
Course Assignment
– face-to-face students
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Paper presentation
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Occupy about 1/3 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 2/3 time is my lecture time
Only for face-to-face session
students
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Course Assignment
– Online students
Write reports on about 30% 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
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A great help to improve student presentation
 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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Use Unix machine, learn stack, debugger (gdb)
Find bugs in a provided binary program
Internet worm propagation simulation
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Or network intrusion detection experiment
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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 before semester ends (late 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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