Software vulnerability and software exploit are the root cause of a majority of computer security problems. But how does software break? How do attackers make software break on purpose? What tools can be used to break software? This talk is about making software beg for mercy. You will learn:
- Why software exploit will continue to be a serious problem
- When network security mechanisms fail
- How attack patterns can be used to build better software
- Why reverse engineering is an essential skill
- Why rootkits are the apex of software exploit, and how they work
- Why the only answer is building better software
Some may argue that discussing software exploit in public is a bad idea. In fact, it’s impossible to protect yourself if you don’t know what you’re up against. Come find out for yourself.
Speaker Biography
Gary McGraw, Cigital, Inc.’s CTO, researches software security and sets technical vision in the area of Software Quality Management. Dr. McGraw is co-author of four popular books: Java Security (Wiley, 1996), Securing Java (Wiley, 1999), Software Fault Injection (Wiley 1998), and Building Secure Software (Addison-Wesley, 2001). His best selling fifth book, Exploiting Software (Addison-Wesley), was released in February 2004. A noted authority on software and application security, Dr. McGraw consults with major software producers and consumers. Dr. McGraw has written over sixty peer-reviewed technical publications and functions as principal investigator on grants from Air Force Research Labs, DARPA, National Science Foundation, and NIST’s Advanced Technology Program. He serves on Advisory Boards of Authentica, Counterpane, Fortify Software, and Indigo Security as well as advising the CS Department at UC Davis. Dr. McGraw holds a dual PhD in Cognitive Science and Computer Science from Indiana University and a BA in Philosophy from UVa. He writes a monthly security column for Network magazine, is the editor of Building Security In for IEEE Security & Privacy magazine, and is often quoted in national press articles.