Secure Systems Programming Assignment: Error Analysis and Security

This document presents a comprehensive solution to a secure systems programming assignment. It begins with an analysis of code errors, identifying issues in C code related to buffer overflows, incorrect function definitions, and loop indexing. The assignment then explores vulnerabilities, particularly buffer overflows, and explains how the exit() function impacts program execution and security. Further, the solution examines integer overflow and segmentation faults, providing a fix for a given code example. The assignment also includes an analysis of a format string vulnerability, demonstrating how an attacker can exploit printf functions. Finally, the document delves into security principles, such as the least privilege principle and the TOCTOU (Time of Check to Time of Use) vulnerability, offering code examples and explanations to illustrate these concepts and how to mitigate risks in secure software development. The document concludes by providing references to academic papers supporting the concepts discussed.