WS5 - Learning to Reverse Engineer Compiled C as We Learn to Write It

Instructed by:  Wesley McGrew 

Level of Difficulty: Beginner

Abstract:

Software reverse engineering is a fundamental skill: a prerequisite to engaging with many fields of study in computer security that depend on low-level knowledge. Malware analysis, vulnerability research, offensive tool development, and digital forensics all involve the analysis of code which has been compiled, obfuscated, or otherwise stripped of useful names, data types, comments, and other human-readable information. Without the ability to read disassembled code, you will not be able to understand code that your computer will happily execute.

In this workshop, I will guide you through learning to read disassembled code while you learn C. We will progress through the C programming language's constructs with as few assumptions as possible about your background, and at each stage we will reverse engineer the compiler's output in Ghidra and trace through with a debugger to understand the generated code. You do not need any prior experience in programming.

I will also be demonstrating useful techniques for using locally-hosted large language models to aid in the learning process.

Use AI to improve your own skillset, rather than using it to do the work for you.

Pre-Requisites:

No programming experience required. I only require the ability to set up a Windows VM environment in which to work.