Month: August 2018

Public Remote Windows Internals Training

  • Public 5-day remote class
  • Dates: November 5, 7, 8, 14, 15
  • Time: 8 hours / day. Exact hours TBD
  • Price: 2250 USD
  • Register by emailing zodiacon@live.com and specifying “Windows Internals Training” in the title
    • Provide names of participants (discount available for multiple participants from the same company), company name and time zone.
    • You’ll receive instructions for payment and other details
  • Virtual space is limited!

 

Objectives: Understand the Windows system architecture

Explore the internal workings of process, threads, jobs, virtual memory, the I/O system and other mechanisms fundamental to the way Windows works

Write a simple software device driver to access/modify information not available from user mode
Target Audience: Experienced windows programmers in user mode or kernel mode, interested in writing better programs, by getting a deeper understanding of the internal mechanisms of the windows operating system.

Security researchers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of Windows mechanisms (security or otherwise), allowing for more productive research
Pre-Requisites: Basic knowledge of OS concepts and architecture.

Power user level working with Windows

Practical experience developing windows applications is an advantage

C/C++ knowledge is an advantage

 

  • Module 1: System Architecture
    • Brief Windows NT History
    • Windows Versions
    • Windows 10 and Future versions
    • Tools: Windows, Sysinternals, Debugging Tools for Windows
    • Processes and Threads
    • Virtual Memory
    • User mode vs. Kernel mode
    • Objects and Handles
    • Architecture Overview
    • Key Components
    • User/kernel transitions
    • APIs: Win32, Native, .NET, COM, WinRT
    • Introduction to WinDbg
    • Lab: Task manager, Process Explorer, WinDbg

 

  • Module 2: Processes & Jobs
    • Process basics
    • Creating and terminating processes
    • Process Internals & Data Structures
    • The loader
    • DLL explicit and implicit linking
    • Process and thread attributes
    • Protected processes and PPL
    • UWP Processes
    • Minimal and Pico processes
    • Jobs
    • Nested jobs
    • Introduction to Silos
    • Lab: viewing process and job information; creating processes; setting job limits

 

  • Module 3: Threads
    • Thread basics
    • Creating and terminating threads
    • Processor Groups
    • Thread Priorities
    • Thread Scheduling
    • Thread Stacks
    • Thread States
    • CPU Sets
    • Thread Synchronization
    • Lab: creating threads; thread synchronization; viewing thread information; CPU sets

 

  • Module 4: Kernel Mechanisms
    • Trap Dispatching
    • Interrupts & Exceptions
    • System Crash
    • Object Management
    • Objects and Handles
    • Sharing Objects
    • Synchronization
    • Synchronization Primitives
    • Signaled vs. Non-Signaled
    • Windows Global Flags
    • Kernel Event Tracing
    • Wow64
    • Lab: Viewing Handles, Interrupts; creating maximum handles

 

  • Module 5: Memory Management
    • Overview
    • Small, large and huge pages
    • Page states
    • Address Space Layout
    • Address Translation Mechanisms
    • Heaps
    • APIs in User mode and Kernel mode
    • Page Faults
    • Page Files
    • Commit Size and Commit Limit
    • Workings Sets
    • Memory Mapped Files (Sections)
    • Page Frame Database
    • Other memory management features
    • Lab: committing & reserving memory; using shared memory; viewing memory related information

 

  • Module 6: Management Mechanisms
    • The Registry
    • Services
    • Starting and controlling services
    • Windows Management Instrumentation
    • Lab: Viewing and configuring services; Process Monitor

  • Module 7: I/O System
    • I/O System overview
    • Device Drivers
    • The Windows Driver Model (WDM)
    • The Windows Driver Foundation (WDF)
    • WDF: KMDF and UMDF
    • I/O Processing and Data Flow
    • IRPs
    • Plug & Play
    • Power Management
    • Driver Verifier
    • Writing a Software Driver
    • Labs: viewing driver and device information; writing a software driver

 

  • Module 8: Security
    • Security Components
    • Virtualization Based Security
    • Protecting objects
    • SIDs
    • Tokens
    • ACLs
    • Privileges
    • Access checks
    • AppContainers
    • Logon
    • User Access Control (UAC)
    • Process mitigations
    • Lab: viewing security information