Jim has provided a copy of his slides.

Debugging an application on Linux can be confusing, even when things are working correctly.

At the April meeting of UUASC-OC, our own Jim Shewmaker who spoke to us earlier about network security returns this time to teach us about gdb basic commands and features, before providing us with some real-world examples of debugging Linux apps.

Jim will look at other utilities to help us, such as systrace and objdump. Those techniques are useful for troubleshooting binaries, analyzing code, and leading into security aspects of the applications that use them. He will also show us examples of small samples compiled with different versions of GCC to help understand the subtle differences introduced by different compilers.

Jim has more than 15 years experience in IT, primarily developing appliances for automation and security for broadcast radio, internet, and satellite devices. He is one of the first GIAC Platinum certified Malware (GSM) experts. Jim has written and audited questions for GIAC and is on its Advisory Board. Jim is a founder and active consultant for Bluenotch which focuses on investigations, penetration testing, and analysis. He has contributed to the courseware in various SANS courses including Security Essentials and Reverse Engineering Malware: Advanced Techniques.