Secure Coding in C/C++ from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Become a proficient c/c++ programmer who prioritizes security
Learn defensive programming techniques

Understand common security flaws in c/c++ programming
Master secure coding practices

Become a proficient c/c++ programmer who prioritizes security
Learn defensive programming techniques
Understand common security flaws in c/c++ programming
Master secure coding practices

Syllabus

Welcome to this course on secure C/C++ programming! In this first module, you'll gain valuable insights into software security and the potential consequences of code weaknesses.

This video serves as an instructive illustration of the real-world implications of software vulnerabilities.

Before starting this course, it's essential to make sure that you meet certain requirements.

Learn about the potential risks of manual memory management in C and C++.

In this video, we'll explore common pitfalls and best practices when working with pointers in C and C++.

C and C++ provide extensive access to system resources, but this can also lead to security threats such as privilege escalation attacks. In this video, we'll discuss two principles that can guide developers in managing low-level access securely.

The type system of C and C++ is flexible, enabling conversions between diverse types. Although this offers significant flexibility, mishandling these features could result in severe issues.

Developers may wrongly assume that C and C++, along with their standard library functions, protect them by handling a lot of security-related tasks behind the scenes. This video aims to clarify the reality of the situation.

This video explains why it's essential to consider the security of legacy codebases.

Can you identify a dangling pointer? What's a memory leak? Why should you always balance new and delete?

In this video, we'll explore stack and heap-based buffer overflows and how they can affect the security of your code.

Do you remember the entertainment system crash story? In this video, we uncover the dangerous flaw called integer overflow that could have caused it. Join us to understand and prevent this critical vulnerability.

Discover how uncontrolled format strings can open the door to vulnerabilities and compromise the security of your code.

Let's explore the pitfalls of improper error handling and the security risks it may pose to your codebase.

This video reveals the hidden dangers of concurrent programming and the security risks posed by race conditions.

Let's test your ability to recognize security issues in C and C++ code.

In this module, we'll cover key principles for improving our C/C++ coding habits. We’ll start by discussing the importance of minimizing the attack surface area.

In this video, we'll look at how applying the Principle of Least Privilege fortifies your code against potential exploits.

In this video, we'll explore the topic of fail-safe defaults in secure programming. You'll learn the significance of secure default configurations and their role in enhancing software security and reliability.

Let's talk about the power of layered security in software applications. Learn how to protect your code from various vulnerabilities by implementing multiple security measures, ensuring robust and secure software applications.

Test your skills in secure C/C++ coding principles.

In this video, we'll revisit the essentials of memory management in C. We'll discuss how to allocate, deallocate, and handle memory effectively, ensuring your C programs run smoothly and securely.

In this video, we'll uncover common memory management pitfalls in C, such as dereferencing null pointers and freeing up a block of memory multiple times, and learn how to avoid them. Enhance your code's reliability and security with best practices.

Let's delve deeper into C memory management and discover more critical mistakes to avoid. Strengthen your understanding and create robust C programs.

We'll explore less trivial memory management errors in C to enhance your expertise in building secure and efficient software.

In this video, we'll delve into the core of C++ Memory Management with new and delete. We'll discuss why C's memory management functions fell short in the object-oriented world of C++.

In this video, we'll explore less-known aspects of C++ memory management. We'll focus on initialization and how placement new allows precise control over memory allocations.

This lecture is about managing C++ memory allocation failures. We'll explore how to deal with exceptions thrown by new and how to set custom error handlers to manage allocation problems ourselves. Arm yourself with these techniques to create robust and fault-tolerant C++ applications.

Manual memory management can cause problems like memory leaks and dangling pointers. C++ smart pointers can help solve these issues--let's see how.

Congratulations on completing the course! This final video will wrap up our journey through secure coding in C/C++. We hope you've gained valuable insights and skills to enhance your software development practices. Remember to apply secure coding principles in all your projects, and together, let's build a safer digital world. Thank you for joining us, and happy coding!

I've included a handy quick reference guide in PDF format as a free companion for this course. This way, you'll always have a practical tool at your fingertips, no matter where you are. Enjoy!

This lecture contains promo codes for my other courses and links to free resources you might find helpful.

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Teaches secure coding practices, which are essential for developing robust and reliable software applications that can withstand potential attacks and protect sensitive data

Explores common security vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and format string vulnerabilities, enabling developers to identify and resolve security issues in their code

Examines memory management in C and C++, which helps learners avoid common pitfalls such as dangling pointers and memory leaks

Discusses the importance of considering the security of legacy codebases, which is relevant for developers maintaining older systems

Requires familiarity with C/C++, so learners without prior experience may need to acquire foundational knowledge before taking this course

Covers principles for improving C/C++ coding habits, such as minimizing the attack surface area and applying the Principle of Least Privilege

Reviews summary

Essential secure coding for c/c++

According to learners, this course offers a solid foundation in secure coding principles for C and C++. Many reviewers highlighted the practicality of the labs and coding assignments, finding them crucial for applying knowledge and solidifying concepts. The instructor is often praised for clearly explaining complex vulnerabilities. While many found the content highly valuable and directly applicable to professional work, some noted the delivery could be somewhat dry or felt the course lacked depth in certain areas, expecting more advanced or modern topics. It is consistently mentioned that the course requires a solid prerequisite understanding of C/C++, making it less suitable for absolute beginners in the language itself.

Assumes prior comfort with the languages.

"Prerequisites mentioned should be taken seriously, you need solid C/C++ first."

"The course assumes you are already quite comfortable with C/C++, so it's not for absolute beginners in the language itself."

"It does require a decent understanding of C/C++ beforehand, as stated in the prerequisites."

Covers essential vulnerabilities and principles well.

"Good course covering essential vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and integer overflows."

"Overall a very helpful course. I learned a lot about common vulnerabilities and how to avoid them."

"The memory management section was particularly strong."

"A good course providing a solid foundation. Covers important vulnerabilities."

"The memory safety modules for both C and C++ were well done."

Instructor clarifies complex security flaws.

"The instructor was clear and knowledgeable."

"The vulnerability explanations were crystal clear..."

"The way the instructor breaks down complex vulnerabilities is excellent."

"The instructor explains complex topics effectively."

Focus on hands-on learning is highly valued.

"The labs and coding assignments were practical and really helped solidify the concepts."

"The hands-on exercises are well-designed and crucial for applying the knowledge."

"The coding assignments really challenged me to apply what I learned."

"The focus on practical application through assignments is perfect."

"I learned techniques I can use immediately in my projects."

Some found content dry or not deep enough.

"The content covers relevant topics, but the delivery is sometimes dry."

"Disappointed with this course. The explanations were superficial in some key areas. I expected more depth..."

"Felt like it just scratched the surface."

"The instructor is boring and hard to follow."

"Doesn't cover anything useful for real-world development. Complete waste of time..."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Secure Coding in C/C++ with these activities:

Review C/C++ Memory Management

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Refresh your understanding of memory management in C/C++ to avoid common pitfalls and security vulnerabilities.

Browse courses on Memory Allocation

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Review dynamic memory allocation concepts.
Practice allocating and deallocating memory.
Identify common memory errors.

Read 'Writing Solid Code'

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Learn practical techniques for writing robust and reliable C code.

View Writing Solid Code on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Apply the techniques to your C projects.
Reflect on how these techniques improve code quality.

Read 'Effective C++'

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Study effective C++ techniques to write more robust and secure code.

View Effective Modern C++: 42 Specific Ways to... on Amazon

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Read and understand each item in the book.
Apply the principles to your C++ projects.
Reflect on how these principles improve security.

Four other activities

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Complete memory safety exercises

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Practice identifying and preventing memory-related vulnerabilities through targeted exercises.

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Find exercises on buffer overflows and memory leaks.
Implement solutions to fix the vulnerabilities.
Test your solutions thoroughly.

Write a blog post on secure coding

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Solidify your understanding of secure coding principles by explaining them to others in a blog post.

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Choose a specific secure coding topic.
Research the topic thoroughly.
Write a clear and concise blog post.
Share your post with the community.

Develop a Secure File Parser

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Build a file parser that is resistant to common security vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and format string attacks.

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Design the parser with security in mind.
Implement input validation and sanitization.
Test the parser with malicious input.
Document the security measures taken.

Contribute to a security-related open source project

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Gain practical experience by contributing to an open source project focused on security.

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Find a suitable open source project.
Understand the project's codebase and security practices.
Identify and fix a security vulnerability.
Submit your changes for review.

Career center

Learners who complete Secure Coding in C/C++ will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Application Security Analyst

An application security analyst is responsible for identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in software. This secure coding in C/C++ course directly relates to the work of an application security analyst, as it provides an in-depth understanding of common coding flaws. The course teaches how to recognize vulnerabilities, such as buffer overflows, format string issues, and memory errors. An application security analyst will benefit from the defensive programming techniques this course emphasizes. The course focuses on real-world examples that are critical for understanding security issues. This course helps a security analyst find and solve weaknesses in your code. An application security analyst should take this course to learn the specific vulnerabilities they will need to address.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Security Analyst

Security Engineer

A security engineer aims to safeguard systems and applications. This course in secure coding in C/C++ is essential for a security engineer to understand how vulnerabilities originate. The course covers critical topics like input validation, secure memory management, and error handling, equipping security engineers with the knowledge to assess and improve application security. A security engineer needs to know how to identify and address common flaws, such as buffer overflows and format string vulnerabilities and this course focuses on just these things. The practical experience gained from this course allows security engineers to implement better security controls. A security engineer should take this course to understand the underlying code security issues that they will be tasked with defending against.

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Systems Programmer

A systems programmer works on low-level software components such as operating systems or device drivers. This course on secure coding in C/C++ is directly relevant to the work of a systems programmer, because they often work in C or C++. This course covers memory management, concurrency issues, and other security concerns that a systems programmer needs to know. This course highlights topics such as input validation and secure file and data handling, all of which are essential for systems programming. Systems programmers will benefit from the course's coverage of memory management flaws like dangling pointers and memory leaks. Systems programmers should take this course because it covers many of the security concerns within their field.

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Software Developer

A software developer writes and maintains code, and this course is directly applicable to that role. This course in secure coding in C/C++ helps build a foundation in writing secure and robust applications, crucial for any software developer. The course focuses on identifying and mitigating common security flaws. Developers who follow the best practices in secure coding can drastically reduce vulnerabilities. Learning about memory management, error handling, and other topics within this course helps a software developer write reliable code. This course will help you to be a more effective and secure developer. This course is particularly useful for those who are working with legacy codebases and low-level system resources. These are often common in the field of software development.

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Penetration Tester

A penetration tester, or ethical hacker, assesses the security of systems by simulating attacks. This secure coding in C/C++ course is useful for a penetration tester by providing a deeper understanding of common vulnerabilities they will exploit. This course is useful for gaining insights into how flaws arise, allowing the tester to find and exploit them effectively. This course covers memory management, buffer overflows, and other common security pitfalls that are crucial for a penetration tester. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples are particularly relevant in this profession, as they mirror the kinds of vulnerabilities a tester will encounter in real systems. This course focuses on the source of vulnerabilities in C/C++, which are languages often used in systems being attacked. Penetration testers should take this course because it gives them insight into vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

See salaries and explore the career path for Penetration Tester

Cybersecurity Analyst

A cybersecurity analyst protects computer systems and networks from cyber threats. A comprehensive understanding of secure coding practices, such as those taught in this C/C++ course, is beneficial to a cybersecurity analyst by providing them with knowledge of how vulnerabilities arise. This course's content on common security flaws and mitigation strategies is invaluable. This course allows a cybersecurity analyst to understand how to defend software from attack. The practical, hands-on exercises in the course help cybersecurity analysts develop skills to identify and mitigate security weaknesses. The topics on memory management and error handling are essential for a professional working in the field of cybersecurity. A cybersecurity analyst should take this course to gain a detailed understanding of the security vulnerabilities they will be defending against.

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Firmware Engineer

A firmware engineer develops software that is embedded directly into hardware. Because firmware often interacts directly with hardware and system resources, this course in secure coding in C/C++ is invaluable to a firmware engineer. The course emphasizes secure memory management, proper error handling, and mitigating risks, all essential to writing robust firmware. Firmware engineers will also benefit from the course's lessons on low-level system access and potential vulnerabilities such as privilege escalation attacks. The course's focus on memory leaks and dangling pointers is especially relevant to a firmware engineer. Those in the field of firmware should take this course to improve the security and reliability of their embedded systems since many of them are programmed in C/C++.

See salaries and explore the career path for Firmware Engineer

Security Consultant

A security consultant advises organizations on how to improve their security posture. This course on secure coding in C/C++ is helpful for security consultants as it gives them deeper insight into how vulnerabilities arise. The topics on secure memory management, proper error handling and mitigating risks are important to this profession. Security flaws such as buffer overflows, format string vulnerabilities, memory leaks, which are covered in this course, are frequently a topic of consultation. The content in this course improves a security consultant's ability to analyze code and provide effective recommendations. A security consultant should take this course to gain an understanding of how secure coding practices can improve system security.

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Embedded Systems Engineer

An embedded systems engineer designs and develops embedded systems. Secure coding practices, such as those taught in this course with real-world examples and exercises, are essential for a role in embedded systems. The embedded systems field often includes the usage of low-level system resources, which are covered in this course on secure coding in C/C++. The course's coverage of memory management, error handling, and input validation is directly applicable to embedded systems development. The specific risks covered by this course such as buffer overflows, format string vulnerabilities, and memory leaks are important to understand for anyone working in embedded systems. This course will help an embedded systems engineer write secure code. Embedded systems engineers should take this course to apply secure coding practices to their systems.

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Reverse Engineer

A reverse engineer analyzes software and systems to understand their inner workings. This course on secure coding in C/C++ is beneficial to a reverse engineer because it helps them understand the vulnerabilities they will analyze. The course's focus on common flaws, such as buffer overflows, integer overflows, and format string issues, allows a reverse engineer to more effectively find these vulnerabilities in existing code. The course on secure coding helps them understand programming paradigms that they may need to reverse engineer. A reverse engineer should take this course to learn about the ways that software can be vulnerable.

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Software Architect

A software architect designs the structure of software systems. Understanding the security implications of various design choices is a critical part of the work of a software architect, and this course on secure coding in C/C++ provides insights into how to build secure systems. The course covers crucial topics, such as input validation, secure memory management, and error handling, all important to a software architect planning out a system. The course covers vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and memory leaks that a software architect should know about. This course offers valuable knowledge of secure coding principles that help a software architect design more secure applications. A software architect needs to know how to design secure systems, and they should take this course to learn more about common security issues in C/C++.

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Technical Lead

A technical lead manages projects and guides technical teams. Understanding secure coding practices, as taught in this course, is helpful for technical leads as they are making decisions about their teams' projects. The course covers areas like memory management, error handling, and other coding practices. Technical leads should be able to recognize common vulnerabilities, like buffer overflows and memory leaks, which this course identifies. This course will be useful to technical leads who want to guide their teams in building more secure software. A technical lead can take this course to be able to better assess the security of the software projects they oversee.

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Game Developer

A game developer creates video games. Game developers also need to write secure, robust code, and this course on secure coding in C/C++ can help them achieve that. Many games are written in C++, making the skills and knowledge gained from this course applicable to the work of a game developer. The course teaches how to identify and mitigate common vulnerabilities, such as buffer overflows and memory leaks, that a game developer may encounter. Game developers should focus on security and error handling, and this course covers these topics directly. This course is relevant to game developers who wish to write reliable code. Game developers should take this course to improve the overall security of their game projects.

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Software Quality Assurance Engineer

A software quality assurance engineer tests software for bugs and other issues and ensures that it meets quality standards. This course on secure coding in C/C++ will help an engineer in software quality assurance understand common vulnerabilities. This understanding is essential, as they will need to look for flaws in code. The course topics of memory management, input validation, and error handling will be useful for quality assurance engineers who need to ensure the security of a project. The course provides insight into the common issues that can arise from vulnerable code. A software quality assurance engineer should take this course to gain knowledge of common software vulnerabilities.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer manages the infrastructure required to deploy and run software. Understanding secure coding practices, such as those found in this C/C++ course, helps a DevOps engineer appreciate security requirements in the software they manage. The knowledge of secure memory management, secure file and data handling, and mitigating security risks from this course is useful for securely deploying their software. A DevOps engineer should have an understanding of the security vulnerabilities they may be involved in handling, and this course will help. This course is useful for DevOps engineers who wish to better integrate software security into the deployment pipeline. A DevOps engineer should take this course to learn how to prevent security breaches at the software level.

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Secure Coding in C/C++

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Learning objectives

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Reviews summary

Essential secure coding for c/c++

Activities

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