Hunting Security Bugs

Chapter 15. Managed Code Issues

In this chapter:
Dispelling Common Myths About Using Managed Code
Understanding the Basics of Code Access Security
Finding Problems Using Code Reviews
Understanding the Issues of Using APTCA
Decompiling .NET Assemblies
Testing Tips
Summary

Many applications that exist today are written using unmanaged code, such a C, C++, and assembly, that runs directly on the system, meaning that the system has limited protection from what happens when the application executes. If the application wants to overwrite memory to which it doesn’t have access or leak all of the system resources, it can.

Managed code, on the other hand, is executed using the Microsoft .NET Framework Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR can protect the system ...