Joxean Koret (@matalaz)Jul 12, 2023

I know nobody gives a fuck, but this is my next research topic for this year: Finding #bugs & #vulnerabilities by #diffing binaries against sources. It sounds much harder than it actually is.

#ProgramDiffing #VulnDev #VulnResearch #VulnerabilityDevelopment #VulnerabilityResearch #ReverseEngineering
#Compilers #CompilerOptimizations #CompilersBugs #Miscompilations

Show threadJoxean Koret (@matalaz)Jul 12, 2023

The summary: given compilable source code and a binary corresponding to the previously mentioned source code, find the code added by the compiler that doesn't correspond to code in the actual source code, also find the code that is in the source codes *but* was optimized away for the compiler, and then apply some basic rules to determine what smells like a bug or a vulnerability.

How Hard Can It Be (TM)?

Show threadSaagar Jha
@joxean Do you expect this to find bugs? I guess I’m wondering if you’ve found examples of compilers mucking things up and introducing vulnerabilities regularly
Jul 13, 2023 at 6:57amWeb
Show threadSaagar JhaJul 13, 2023
@joxean (As opposed to, say, proprietary closed-source modifications to a mostly open source codebase)
Show threadJoxean Koret (@matalaz)Jul 13, 2023
@saagar Is not that I expect it to find bugs, I am writing a tool for a "technique" that is known to work since I can remember.