Secure Programming Practices in C++
NDC Oslo 2018
Patricia Aas, 14 June 2018
Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, once said : “C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do it blows your whole leg off.” He has also said : “Within C++, there is a much smaller and cleaner language struggling to get out.” Both are true.
Presented at NDC Oslo 2018
This talk is for programmers wishing to feel more comfortable navigating the C++ landscape. Motivated by going through well known vulnerability patterns that have been used in exploits for decades, we will explore the programming culture that has developed around the C++ language. Specifically, we will look at programming patterns that navigate around or through some of the dangerous parts of the C++ language. The goal is to build a set of programming practices based in the “smaller and cleaner language” inside C++. And by doing so, we will also build an awareness around code constructs that can potentially “blow your whole leg off”.