Computer Organization and Assembly Language from Udemy

This course presents in a simple manner the assembly language - intel syntax - for the x86 32-bits architecture and places this in the context of a computing system. We start with a short presentation of the hardware components on which assembly code is highly reliant, how they work and what is their purpose in relation to the software. We continue with some higher level notions - data, variables, pointers, functions - as we understand them in languages such as C/C++ and we show all the steps that lead to the assembly language. By using a lot of demos and animations, we go through all the assembly language notions - registers, static memory, the stack, function calling, instructions - side by side with the more familiar concepts in higher level languages. In this process, we make use of multiple tools, both for static and dynamic analysis of binaries: GDB, objdump, nm. Towards the end, we touch on the security side of assembly. We do a deep dive into one of the most common vulnerabilities, buffer overflow and show how programs can be exploited. While on this topic, we present a binary analysis tool that is the bleeding edge in the domain of security: Ghidra.

This course is for people of any level and is the direct result of a desire to explain the concepts that were most useful to my career path in the simplest manner.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Write and understand x86 32bits assembly languge (core intel 80386 instruction set) and more
Understand at the most fundamental level mechanisms of higher level languages (pointers, variables, memory allocation, function calls, instructions)
Understand the build process behind gcc compiler - preprocessing, compilation, assembly, linking
Manually generate executables from projects containing source files, object files and libraries
Understand what happens at runtime (when application is launched into execution) - loader, shared libraries, process address space

Understand how hardware resources are used by a running process - cpu, registers, ram, cache
Master debugging a program using extensions of gdb debugger
Reverse-engineer a binary using both static and dynamic analysis tools (objdump, ghidra, gdb peda)
Exploit or protect against some of the most popular code vulnerabilities: buffer overflow
Understand and use mechanisms of protection against exploits (aslr, stack smashing protection, data execution prevention)

Write and understand x86 32bits assembly languge (core intel 80386 instruction set) and more
Understand at the most fundamental level mechanisms of higher level languages (pointers, variables, memory allocation, function calls, instructions)
Understand the build process behind gcc compiler - preprocessing, compilation, assembly, linking
Manually generate executables from projects containing source files, object files and libraries
Understand what happens at runtime (when application is launched into execution) - loader, shared libraries, process address space
Understand how hardware resources are used by a running process - cpu, registers, ram, cache
Master debugging a program using extensions of gdb debugger
Reverse-engineer a binary using both static and dynamic analysis tools (objdump, ghidra, gdb peda)
Exploit or protect against some of the most popular code vulnerabilities: buffer overflow
Understand and use mechanisms of protection against exploits (aslr, stack smashing protection, data execution prevention)

Syllabus

Introduction

High-Level Programming Notions

The Big Picture

Setting Up Your Environment

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Explores the build process behind the GCC compiler, which is essential for understanding how code is transformed into executable programs

Covers reverse-engineering binaries using static and dynamic analysis tools like Ghidra and GDB peda, which are crucial for vulnerability analysis

Teaches x86 32-bit assembly language, providing a foundational understanding of how higher-level languages operate at a lower level

Examines buffer overflow vulnerabilities and protection mechanisms like ASLR and Stack Smashing Protection, which are vital for cybersecurity

Uses GDB for debugging, which is a standard tool for analyzing program behavior and identifying errors at runtime

Focuses on x86 32-bit architecture, which may be less relevant for those primarily working with 64-bit systems, a common architecture today

Reviews summary

In-depth x86 assembly and computer org

According to students, this course offers a strong foundation in Computer Organization and x86 Assembly Language. Learners highlight the clear explanations that effectively bridge the gap between high-level programming and low-level assembly. The practical demos, helpful animations, and hands-on use of tools like GDB and Ghidra are frequently praised for enhancing understanding. The security section, particularly the deep dive into buffer overflow, is a highly valued module. While the course is designed for various levels, some note that the pace can be challenging without some prior programming context. It's considered a highly practical and well-structured introduction to the subject.

In-depth look at buffer overflow.

"The buffer overflow exploitation part was fascinating and highly relevant to real-world security."

"Gaining insight into security vulnerabilities from a low level perspective was very useful."

"Really appreciated the coverage of modern security protections like ASLR and stack smashing protection."

Builds a solid understanding of internals.

"This course gave me the fundamental understanding of how programs run at the hardware level."

"Excellent course for anyone wanting to truly understand compilation, linking, and runtime behavior."

"A solid starting point for diving deeper into systems programming or reverse engineering fields."

Complex topics are made understandable.

"The way assembly language is explained and linked to higher-level code is incredibly clear."

"Found the explanations on how hardware components relate to software very easy to follow."

"Great job simplifying difficult concepts like memory layout and function calls in assembly."

Hands-on learning with real tools.

"Using GDB and Ghidra hands-on was the highlight; it made the concepts concrete and applicable."

"The demos perfectly illustrated the instruction sets and stack operations, which was invaluable."

"Learned a lot by following along with the live coding and debugging sessions provided."

Can be fast for absolute beginners.

"Might be tough if you have zero prior programming or systems background; the course moves quite quickly."

"Felt a bit rushed in some sections, had to rewatch lectures multiple times to fully grasp them."

"Requires dedication, especially the practical exercises, but it is ultimately rewarding."

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 Computer Organization and Assembly Language with these activities:

Review C/C++ Pointers

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Reviewing C/C++ pointer concepts will provide a solid foundation for understanding memory management and assembly language representations of variables and data structures.

Browse courses on Memory Addresses

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Read introductory materials on pointers in C/C++.
Practice pointer arithmetic and memory allocation exercises.
Review the relationship between pointers and arrays.

Read 'Programming From The Ground Up'

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Reading this book will provide a deeper understanding of how programs work at the machine level, complementing the course's focus on assembly language and computer organization.

View Learn to Program with Assembly on Amazon

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Read the chapters on assembly language fundamentals.
Work through the example programs in the book.
Experiment with modifying the example programs.

Practice GDB Debugging Exercises

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Practicing debugging with GDB will improve your ability to analyze and understand assembly code execution, which is crucial for reverse engineering and vulnerability analysis.

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Set breakpoints and step through assembly code.
Examine register values and memory contents.
Practice debugging buffer overflow exploits.

Four other activities

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Create Assembly Language Cheat Sheet

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Creating a cheat sheet will help you consolidate your knowledge of x86 assembly instructions and their usage, making it easier to recall and apply them during programming and analysis tasks.

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List common x86 assembly instructions.
Provide examples of instruction usage.
Organize instructions by category (e.g., data movement, arithmetic).

Implement a Simple Calculator in Assembly

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Implementing a calculator will provide hands-on experience with assembly language programming, including input/output, arithmetic operations, and control flow.

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Design the calculator's functionality and user interface.
Write assembly code to handle input, perform calculations, and display results.
Test and debug the calculator thoroughly.

Read 'Hacking: The Art of Exploitation'

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Reading this book will provide a practical understanding of security vulnerabilities and exploitation techniques, complementing the course's coverage of buffer overflows and security mechanisms.

View Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition on Amazon

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Read the chapters on buffer overflows and shellcode.
Work through the example exploits in the book.
Experiment with modifying the exploits to target different vulnerabilities.

Follow Ghidra Reverse Engineering Tutorials

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Following Ghidra tutorials will enhance your ability to reverse engineer binaries and understand assembly code, which is essential for security analysis and vulnerability research.

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Find and select Ghidra tutorials online.
Follow the tutorials to analyze sample binaries.
Experiment with Ghidra's features and tools.

Career center

Learners who complete Computer Organization and Assembly Language will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Vulnerability Researcher

A vulnerability researcher identifies and analyzes security vulnerabilities in software and hardware. This course helps a vulnerability researcher by providing the foundational skills necessary to analyze binaries, understand assembly language, and identify potential exploits. The course's content on buffer overflows, reverse engineering with Ghidra and GDB, and understanding protection mechanisms against exploits directly aligns with the work of a vulnerability researcher. Learning about program memory and compilation steps further enhances the ability to uncover subtle vulnerabilities in software. The course will be particularly useful to those interested in discovering new and impactful vulnerabilities.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vulnerability Researcher

Malware Analyst

A malware analyst dissects malicious software to understand its behavior and impact. This course helps a malware analyst by providing the skills to reverse engineer and analyze binaries using tools like Ghidra and GDB. Understanding assembly language, particularly the x86 32-bit architecture, is vital for dissecting malware code. The course covers essential topics such as program memory, compilation steps, and function calling in assembly, enabling a malware analyst to trace the execution flow of malicious programs. Additionally, the course delves into buffer overflows, a common vulnerability exploited by malware, enhancing the analyst's ability to identify and understand malware techniques. The course will be helpful for learning about the architecture that leads to a malware vulnerability.

See salaries and explore the career path for Malware Analyst

Reverse Engineer

A reverse engineer analyzes software or hardware to understand its design, functionality, and purpose. This course helps a reverse engineer by providing a foundation in assembly language, specifically x86 32-bit architecture. The course delves into binary analysis using tools like Ghidra and GDB, skills essential for reverse engineering. Understanding compilation steps and program memory, as taught in the course, allows a reverse engineer to dissect and reconstruct software. This course also touches on security vulnerabilities like buffer overflows, which are often targets of reverse engineering efforts. The course will be helpful for learning about hardware components and their relation to software, which enhances the ability to reverse engineer effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Reverse Engineer

Firmware Engineer

A firmware engineer designs and develops low-level software embedded in hardware devices. This course helps a firmware engineer by teaching assembly language and the underlying hardware architecture, which are fundamental to firmware development. The course’s content on CPU and memory organization, registers, and low-level instructions directly applies to programming embedded systems. Furthermore, understanding compilation steps and using debugging tools such as GDB are vital for firmware development. Knowledge about buffer overflows proves useful when programming secure firmware. The course will be helpful for learning about hardware components and their relation to software, which enhances the ability to develop firmware effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Firmware Engineer

Operating Systems Developer

An operating systems developer creates and maintains the software that manages computer hardware and resources. This course helps an operating systems developer by offering foundational knowledge of assembly language, hardware interaction, and memory management. The course covers topics such as CPU architecture, registers, and the stack, crucial for understanding how an OS interacts with hardware. By understanding compilation steps, process memory, and function calling in assembly, an operating systems developer can better optimize and debug OS-level code. Knowledge of binary analysis tools may be useful for diagnosing OS-related issues. The course will be helpful for those working on the core components of operating systems.

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Security Analyst

A security analyst protects computer systems and networks from cyber threats. This course helps a security analyst understand assembly language and the underlying hardware, providing insights into how vulnerabilities can be exploited at a low level. The course's focus on binary analysis tools, such as Ghidra, and exploitation techniques, like buffer overflows, directly translates to skills needed for identifying and mitigating security risks. Learning about protection mechanisms like ASLR and Stack Smashing Protection is directly relevant to a security analyst's work. By demystifying the execution of code, this course will be useful for enhancing a security analyst's ability to defend against sophisticated attacks. The course will be helpful for learning about how assembly language is used in security.

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Embedded Systems Engineer

An embedded systems engineer designs and develops hardware and software for embedded systems. This course helps an embedded systems engineer gain a deeper understanding of the hardware-software interface. The course’s coverage of assembly language, CPU architecture, and memory management is crucial for low-level programming. Understanding the compilation process, the role of registers, and the mechanics of function calls increases the capacity to optimize code for resource-constrained environments. The course will be helpful for learning about system security and how to avoid critical vulnerabilities. The course will be helpful for learning about the hardware components of a computer such as the CPU and memory.

See salaries and explore the career path for Embedded Systems Engineer

Application Security Engineer

An application security engineer focuses on securing software applications by identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. This course helps an application security engineer by providing knowledge of assembly language, binary analysis tools, and exploitation techniques. This course is helpful for understanding common vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and how to prevent them. It is also helpful for the understanding of memory management and function calling conventions as they relate to security. This course will be useful for application security engineers to analyze and secure applications against potential threats.

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Compiler Developer

A compiler developer designs and implements compilers that translate high-level code into machine code. This course helps a compiler developer by providing a deep understanding of assembly language and the compilation process. The course covers assembly language, compilation steps, and how high-level language constructs are translated into assembly. Understanding memory management, function calling conventions, and the use of registers is essential for optimizing compiler output. This course is particularly useful for those working on code generation and optimization phases of a compiler. A compiler developer must be strong with computer code and this course is an excellent place to start.

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Security Consultant

A security consultant advises organizations on how to improve their security posture and protect against cyber threats. This course helps a security consultant by providing a deep understanding of computer systems at a low level, enabling them to assess vulnerabilities and recommend effective security measures. The course's content on assembly language, binary analysis, and exploitation techniques provides a solid foundation for understanding how attacks work. Understanding security vulnerabilities like buffer overflows is helpful for assessing an organization's weaknesses and recommending solutions. The course will be useful for security consultants to effectively advise clients on security best practices.

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Software Developer

A software developer designs, writes, and tests code for applications and systems. This course helps a software developer gain a deeper understanding of how code works at a lower level, leading to more efficient and robust applications. The course covers essential topics such as compilation steps, program memory, and function calling conventions. Exposure to assembly language and binary analysis tools will be helpful for a software developer to troubleshoot performance issues and understand how their code interacts with hardware resources. Understanding vulnerabilities like buffer overflows may be useful for writing more secure code. The course will be helpful as it provides a solid foundation in the internal workings of computer systems.

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Technical Trainer

A technical trainer educates individuals in various aspects of technology. This course is helpful for a technical trainer to gain a deeper understanding of computer organization, assembly language, and binary analysis. With this knowledge, a technical trainer can develop and deliver training programs on topics such as software security, reverse engineering, and low-level programming. It expands the trainer's expertise, rendering them more competent to teach technical subjects. The course may be useful for those who are looking for extra knowledge to share with students.

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Software Architect

A software architect designs the high-level structure and organization of software systems. This course may be useful to a software architect as it provides a deeper understanding of how software interacts with hardware and how code is compiled and executed. While not directly related to high-level design, understanding assembly language and the compilation process of low level code can aid a software architect in making informed decisions about performance optimization, resource utilization, and security. Knowledge of assembly may contribute to the design of more efficient and robust software systems. The course may be helpful for those working on performance-critical or security-sensitive applications.

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Game Developer

A game developer creates video games for various platforms. This course may be useful for game developers who want to optimize their game's performance or understand how the game engine works at a lower level. Assembly language and debugging knowledge are essential for game developers to ensure the games work as intended. Many game developers use C/C++ and this course will allow the developer to peek underneath the higher level language. The course may be useful for game developers working on performance critical sections of a game, like rendering or physics.

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Data Scientist

A data scientist analyzes and interprets complex data to uncover insights and solve problems. This course may be useful for a data scientist as it provides a foundation in understanding how computer systems work at a lower level. While data science primarily involves high-level languages and statistical techniques, familiarity with assembly language and system architecture can aid in optimizing data processing pipelines and understanding performance bottlenecks. The course may be helpful for those working on performance-critical data analysis tasks.

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Computer Organization and Assembly Language

What's inside

Learning objectives

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Reviews summary

In-depth x86 assembly and computer org

Activities

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