Exploiting Software How to Break Code

Chapter 3. Reverse Engineering and Program Understanding

Most people interact with computer programs at a surface level, entering input and eagerly (impatiently?!) awaiting a response. The public façade of most programs may be fairly thin, but most programs go much deeper than they appear at first glance. Programs have a preponderance of guts, where the real fun happens. These guts can be very complex. Exploiting software usually requires some level of understanding of software guts.

The single most important skill of a potential attacker is the ability to unravel the complexities of target software. This is called reverse engineering or sometimes just reversing. Software attackers are great tool users, but exploiting software is not magic and ...