Foundations of Linux Debugging, Disassembling, and Reversing Analyze Binary Code, Understand Stack Memory Usage, and Reconstruct C/C++ Code with Intel x64

Review topics ranging from Intel x64 assembly language instructions and writing programs in assembly language, to pointers, live debugging, and static binary analysis of compiled C and C++ code. This book is ideal for Linux desktop and cloud developers. 

Using the latest version of Debian, you’ll focus on the foundations of the diagnostics of core memory dumps, live and postmortem debugging of Linux applications, services, and systems, memory forensics, malware, and vulnerability analysis. This requires an understanding of x64 Intel assembly language and how C and C++ compilers generate code, including memory layout and pointers.

This book provides the back­ground knowledge and practical foundations you’ll need in order to master internal Linux program structure and behavior. It consists of practical step-by-step exercises of increasing complexity with explanations and ample diagrams. You’ll also work with the GDB debugger and use it for disassembly and reversing.  

By the end of the book, you will have a solid understanding of how Linux C and C++ compilers generate binary code. In addition, you will be able to analyze such code confidently, understand stack memory usage, and reconstruct original C/C++ code. Foundations of Linux Debugging, Disassembling, and Reversing is the perfect companion to Foundations of ARM64 Linux Debugging, Disassembling, and Reversing for readers interested in the cloud or cybersecurity.

What You'll Learn

Chapter One - x64.1: Memory, Registers, and Simple Arithmetic.- Chapter Two - x64.2: Code Optimization.- Chapter Three - x64.3: Number Representations.- Chapter Four - x64.4: Pointers.- Chapter Five - x64.5: Bytes, Words, Double, and Quad Words.- Chapter Six - x64.6: Pointers to Memory.- Chapter Seven - x64.7: Logical Instructions and RIP.- Chapter Eight - x64.8: Reconstructing a Program with Pointers.- Chapter Nine - x64.9: Memory and Stacks.- Chapter Ten - x64.10: Frame Pointer and Local Variables.- Chapter Eleven - x64.11: Function Parameters.- Chapter Twelve - x64.12: More Instructions.- Chapter Thirteen - x64.13: Function Pointer Parameters.- Chapter Fourteen - x64.14: Summary of Code Disassembly Patterns.

Dmitry Vostokov is an internationally recognized expert, speaker, educator, scientist, inventor, and author. He is the founder of the pattern-oriented software diagnostics, forensics, and prognostics discipline (Systematic Software Diagnostics), and Software Diagnostics Institute (DA+TA: DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org). Vostokov has also authored books on software diagnostics, anomaly detection and analysis, software and memory forensics, root cause analysis and problem solving, memory dump analysis, debugging, software trace and log analysis, reverse engineering, and malware analysis. He has over 25 years of experience in software architecture, design, development, and maintenance in various industries, including leadership, technical, and people management roles. In his spare time, he presents various topics on Debugging.TV and explores Software Narratology, its further development as Narratology of Things and Diagnostics of Things (DoT), Software Pathology, and Quantum Software Diagnostics. His current interest areas are theoretical software diagnostics and its mathematical and computer science foundations, application of formal logic, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining to diagnostics and anomaly detection, software diagnostics engineering and diagnostics-driven development, diagnostics workflow, and interaction. Recent interest areas also include cloud native computing, security, automation, functional programming, and applications of category theory to software development and big data. He is based out of Dublin, Ireland.