Gray Hat Hacking, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

Chapter 8. Advanced Linux Exploits

It was good to get the basics under our belt, but working with the advanced subjects is likely how most gray hat ethical hackers will spend their time.

• Format string exploits

  • The problem with format strings

  • Reading from arbitrary memory locations

  • Writing to arbitrary memory locations

  • Taking .dtors to root

• Heap overflow exploits

• Memory protection schemes

  • Compiler improvements/protections

  • Kernel level protections

  • Return into libc exploits

    • Used in non-executable stack/heap situations

    • Return into glibc functions directly

The field is advancing constantly, and there are always new techniques discovered by the hackers and new countermeasures implemented by developers. No matter which side you approach the problem from, you ...