Re: fixing all buffer overflows --- random magin numbers

From: nm (nmaniscaat_private)
Date: Sun Sep 12 1999 - 17:43:42 PDT

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    Neat idea.
    
    But, couldn't someone just take a common binary (say ls) that exists
    on the target system and reverse engineer it and begin to make a mapping
    of numbers to syscalls.
    
    Nick Maniscalco
    
    At 09:37 PM 9/11/99 -0400, Dr. Joel M. Hoffman wrote:
    >I was thinking --- it wouldn't be too hard to make buffer overflow
    >attacks impossible.  The basic idea is to do away with binary
    >compatibility.
    >
    >In particular, I was thinking that part of building a kernel would
    >involve assigning a random number to each syscall, and creating a
    >syscall.h file with these random numbers.  A binary would only run if
    >it was compiled with the proper syscall.h, so all binaries would have
    >to be recompiled for the new kernel, but then, syscall.h could be
    >removed, and the system would be impervious to buffer overflow
    >attacks.  (One step further would involve random magic numbers in
    >every function call.)
    >
    >I would be happy to give up binary compatilibyt for the added security
    >it would add.
    >
    >Comments?
    >
    >-Joel Hoffman
    >(joelat_private)
    >
    



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