Master C and C++ with our new Testing Handbook chapter
Trail of Bits has published a new C/C++ security checklist in their Testing Handbook, detailing common bug classes, API gotchas, and environment-specific vulnerabilities across Linux and Windows. The guide serves as a foundation for manual code review and highlights specific issues like libc quirks, Windows driver registry flaws, and seccomp/BPF sandbox bypasses.
Authors: Trail of Bits
Key Takeaways
- Trail of Bits released a comprehensive C/C++ security checklist covering Linux, Windows, and seccomp/BPF sandboxes.
- The guide highlights common API gotchas, memory safety issues, and environment-specific vulnerabilities like DLL planting and unquoted paths.
- Sandbox bypass techniques such as io_uring syscalls and CLONE_UNTRACED flags are detailed for Linux environments.
- A Claude LLM skill is being developed to automate bug-finding prompts based on the checklist.
Affected Systems
- Linux
- Windows
- C/C++ Codebases
Attack Chain
The article does not describe a specific attack chain used by a threat actor in the wild. Instead, it outlines theoretical vulnerability classes and provides code challenges demonstrating how attackers might exploit libc quirks to bypass IP validation, leverage unquoted paths for execution, or manipulate registry values to achieve kernel code execution in Windows drivers.
Detection Availability
- YARA Rules: No
- Sigma Rules: No
- Snort/Suricata Rules: No
- KQL Queries: No
- Splunk SPL Queries: No
- EQL Queries: No
- Other Detection Logic: No
No detection rules are provided in the article, as it focuses on source code review and vulnerability identification.
Detection Engineering Assessment
EDR Visibility: Low — The article discusses source code vulnerabilities and API gotchas, which EDRs do not typically observe until they are actively exploited at runtime. Network Visibility: None — The focus is entirely on local code execution, memory safety, and OS-level API interactions. Detection Difficulty: Hard — Identifying these vulnerabilities requires static/dynamic analysis and manual code review prior to exploitation. Runtime detection relies on catching the post-exploitation behavior.
Required Log Sources
- Process Creation Logs (Event ID 4688 / Sysmon Event ID 1)
- Registry Auditing Logs (Event ID 4657 / Sysmon Event ID 12, 13, 14)
Hunting Hypotheses
| Hypothesis | Telemetry | ATT&CK Stage | FP Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look for child processes spawned from CreateProcess with unquoted paths containing spaces, which may indicate path interception exploitation. | Process Creation Logs | Privilege Escalation | Medium |
| Monitor for unexpected io_uring syscalls or CLONE_UNTRACED flags that might indicate attempts to bypass seccomp or BPF sandboxes. | Syscall Logs / Linux Auditd | Defense Evasion | High |
Control Gaps
- Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
- Manual Code Review
Key Behavioral Indicators
- Unquoted paths in process creation
- Unexpected registry modifications targeting driver configurations
False Positive Assessment
- Low
Recommendations
Immediate Mitigation
- Review C/C++ codebases against the new Trail of Bits Testing Handbook checklist.
Infrastructure Hardening
- Ensure Windows drivers properly validate registry input to prevent kernel-level code execution.
- Implement modern sandboxing mechanisms like Landlock alongside seccomp/BPF.
User Protection
- N/A
Security Awareness
- Train developers on common C/C++ footguns, including libc gotchas, memory safety, and platform-specific API quirks.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1574.002 - Hijack Execution Flow: DLL Search Order Hijacking
- T1574.009 - Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Unquoted Path
- T1068 - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
- T1562.001 - Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools
Additional IOCs
- Registry Keys:
MajorVersion- Registry value queried in the vulnerable Windows WDF driver challenge code snippet.MinorVersion- Registry value queried in the vulnerable Windows WDF driver challenge code snippet.
- Command Lines:
- Purpose: Vulnerable system command execution in the provided C challenge snippet | Tools:
ping| Stage: Execution |ping '%s'
- Purpose: Vulnerable system command execution in the provided C challenge snippet | Tools:
