Section 27: Analyzing Vulnerabilities

Question 1

Dereferencing

Answer 1

Occurs when the code attempts to remove the relationship between a pointer and the thing it points to

Question 2

TOCTOU

Answer 2

▪ Occurs when there is a change between when an app checks a resource and when the app uses the resource

Question 3

Mutually Exclusive Flag (Mutex)

Answer 3

▪ Acts as a gatekeeper to a section of code so that only one thread can be processed at a time

Question 4

Buffer Overflow

Answer 4

▪ Occurs when a process stores data outside the memory range allocated by the developer

o Buffer
▪ A temporary storage area that a program uses to store data
▪ Over 85% of data breaches were caused by a buffer overflow

Question 5

Stack

Answer 5

▪ Reserved area of memory where the program saves the return address when a function call instruction is received

Question 6

Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR)

Answer 6

Prevents an attacker’s ability to guess where the return
pointer for a non-malicious program has been set to call
back to

Question 7

Data Execution Protection (DEP)

Answer 7

o Blocks applications that attempt to run from protected
memory locations
o Executable code stored in the user data location will be
marked as non-executable

Question 8

Integer Overflow

Answer 8

▪ Occurs when a computed result from an operation is too large to fit into its assigned variable type for storage

▪ Integer overflows and buffer overflows can lead to arbitrary code
execution, and in turn, privilege escalations

Question 9

HTTP Public Key Pinning (HPKP)

Answer 9

▪ Allows HTTPS websites to resist impersonation by attackers using fraudulent certificates

Question 10

Software Composition Analysis

Answer 10

A process by which software can be analyzed for open-source
components

Question 11

Regression Testing

Answer 11

Validates any software change does not produce any unintended
consequences

Question 12

Represented State Transfer (REST)

Answer 12

A client/server model for interacting with content on remote systems
over HTTP

Question 13

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

Answer 13

▪ Used for exchanging structural information for web services
▪ Conduct inspection and sanitization of inputs and outputs to the
application

Question 14

Bytecode

Answer 14

▪ An intermediate form of code produced by a compiler that can be
translated into machine code