Chapter 2. Attack Patterns

One very real problem in computer security is the lack of commonly accepted terminology. Software security is no exception. Confusion by the popular press (which jumps at the chance to cover computer security issues) doesn't help. Nor does intentional misuse of terms by unscrupulous vendors trying to con you into buying their wares. In this section we'll informally define some terms that are used throughout the book. Some people may not agree with the way we're defining and using terms. Suffice it to say, our aim is clarity and consistency, and we think carving up the space our way makes sense for this discussion.

The first and most important definition is the target. Half the fun of exploiting software is picking your ...

Get Exploiting Software How to Break Code now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.