When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 4 modules in this course
This course builds upon the skills and coding practices learned in both Principles of Secure Coding and Identifying Security Vulnerabilities, courses one and two, in this specialization. This course uses the focusing technique that asks you to think about: “what to watch out for” and “where to look” to evaluate and ultimately remediate fragile C++ library code.
The techniques you’ll be examining will make your programs perform accurately and be resistant to attempts to perform inaccurately. This is really what the term secure programming means. You will be shown common errors that people make, and then learn how to program more robustly. You will apply tips and best practices to help you improve your programming style and help you to avoid common problems like buffer overflows, which may or may not cause security problems.
In this module, you will be able to manage users and privileges when you run programs or sub-programs. You will be able to identify and use the different types of privileges on a Linux (and UNIX-like) system. You'll be able to identify how program shells preserve environment settings. You will be able to examine how your shell (or other program that uses the PATH variable) deals with multiple versions of that variable.
Validation and Verification, Buffer and Numeric Overflows, and Input Injections
Module 2•6 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will be able to breakdown how the process of checking inputs, known as validation and verification works. You will be able to avoid and buffer numeric overflows in your programs. You will be able to discover what happens when you call functions with parameters that cause overflows. And finally, you will be able to detect various input injections such as cross-site scripting and SQL injections and be able to describe the consequences of not examining input.
Selective Buffer Overflow and Utilizing Canaries•17 minutes
Numeric Overflows Overview•7 minutes
Numeric Overflow Examples•9 minutes
Lesson 4 Summary•3 minutes
Input Injections Overview•2 minutes
Cross-Site Scripting Attacks•19 minutes
SQL Injections•11 minutes
Lesson 5 Summary•5 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
Path Names - What's Going On?•10 minutes
Numeric and Buffer Overflows - What's Going On?•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
Module 2 Quiz•30 minutes
Module 2 Practice Quiz•15 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 120 minutes
Path Names (Suggested Activity)•60 minutes
Numeric and Buffer Overflows (Suggested Activity)•60 minutes
Files, Subprocesses, and Race Conditions
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will be able to describe how files and subprocesses interact and be able to create subprocesses and shell scripts. You will also be able to identify and prevent race conditions in your programs and practice cleaning out environments to make them safe for untrusted subprocesses.
The Environmental Condition - What's Going On?•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
Module 3 Quiz•30 minutes
Module 3 Practice Quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 60 minutes
The Environmental Condition (Suggested Activity)•60 minutes
Randomness, Cryptography, and Other Topics
Module 4•7 hours to complete
Module details
In this module you will be able to distinguish between pseudo-randomness and actual randomness. You will be able to apply randomness in the coding environment and generate random numbers and look at their distribution. You'll be able to identify and describe how and why cryptography is used, as well as why you should use trusted cryptography code libraries instead of crafting your own solution. You will be able to analyze and consider best practices for handling sensitive information, passwords, crypto keys, how to handle errors in security sensitive programs, and how to defend against string attacks. You will be able to hash a password and then try to guess another one. You will be able to practice cleaning out environments to make them safe for untrusted subprocesses, as well as practice handling integer overflow.
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When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.