Category: Uncategorized

Public Windows Kernel Programming Class

After a short twitter questionaire, I’m excited to announce a Remote Windows Kernel Programming class to be scheduled for the end of January 2019 (28 to 31).

If you want to learn how to write software drivers for Windows (not hardware, plug & play drivers), including file system mini filters – this is the class for you! You should be comfortable with programming on Windows in user mode (although we’ll discuss some of the finer points of working with the Windows API) and have a basic understanding of Windows OS concepts such as processes, threads and virtual memory.

If you’re interested, send an email to zodiacon@live.com with the title “Windows Kernel Programming Training” with your name, company name (if any), and time zone. I will reply with further details.

Here is the syllabus (not final, but should be close enough):

Windows Kernel Programming

Duration: 4 Days (January 28th to 31st, 2019)
Target Audience: Experienced windows developers, interested in developing kernel mode drivers
Objectives: · Understand the Windows kernel driver programming model

· Write drivers for monitoring processes, threads, registry and some types of objects

· Use documented kernel hooking mechanisms

· Write basic file system mini-filter drivers
Pre Requisites: · At least 1 year of experience working with the Windows API

· Basic understanding of Windows OS concepts such as processes, threads, virtual memory and DLLs
Software requirements: · Windows 10 Pro 64 bit (latest official release)

· Virtual machine (preferable Windows 10 64 bit) using any virtualization technology (for testing and debugging)

· Visual Studio 2017 (any SKU) + latest update

· Windows 10 SDK (latest)

· Windows 10 WDK (latest)

Cost: $1950

Syllabus

  • Module 1: Windows Internals quick overview
    • Processes and threads
    • System architecture
    • User / kernel transitions
    • Virtual memory
    • APIs
    • Objects and handles
    • Summary

 

  • Module 2: The I/O System and Device Drivers
    • I/O System overview
    • Device Drivers
    • The Windows Driver Model (WDM)
    • The Kernel Mode Driver Framework (KMDF)
    • Other device driver models
    • Driver types
    • Software drivers
    • Driver and device objects
    • I/O Processing and Data Flow
    • Accessing files and devices
    • Asynchronous I/O
    • Summary

 

  • Module 3: Kernel programming basics
    • Installing the tools: Visual Studio, SDK, WDK
    • C++ in a kernel driver
    • Creating a driver project
    • Building and deploying
    • The kernel API
    • Strings
    • Linked Lists
    • Kernel Memory Pools
    • The DriverEntry function
    • The Unload routine
    • Installation
    • Summary
    • Lab: create a simple driver; deploy a driver

 

  • Module 4: Building a simple driver
    • Creating a device object
    • Exporting a device name
    • Building a driver client
    • Driver dispatch routines
    • Introduction to I/O Request Packets (IRPs)
    • Completing IRPs
    • Dealing with user space buffers
    • Handling DeviceIoControl calls
    • Testing the driver
    • Debugging the driver
    • Using WinDbg with a virtual machine
    • Summary
    • Lab: open a process for any access; zero driver; debug a driver

 

  • Module 5: Kernel mechanisms
    • Interrupt Request Levels (IRQLs)
    • Interrupts
    • Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs)
    • Dispatcher objects
    • Thread Synchronization
    • Spin locks
    • Work items
    • Summary

 

  • Module 6: Process and thread monitoring
    • Process creation/destruction callback
    • Specifying process creation status
    • Thread creation/destruction callback
    • Notifying user mode
    • Writing a user mode client
    • User/kernel communication
    • Summary
    • Labs: monitoring process/thread activity; prevent specific processes from running; protecting processes

 

  • Module 7: Object and registry notifications
    • Process/thread object notifications
    • Pre and post callbacks
    • Registry notifications
    • Performance considerations
    • Reporting results to user mode
    • Summary
    • Lab: protect specific process from termination; hiding registry keys; simple registry monitor

 

  • Module 8: File system mini filters
    • File system model
    • Filters vs. mini filters
    • The Filter Manager
    • Filter registration
    • Pre and Post callbacks
    • File name information
    • Contexts
    • File system operations
    • Driver to user mode communication
    • Debugging mini-filters
    • Summary
    • Labs: protect a directory from write; hide a file/directory; prevent file/directory deletion; log file operations

 

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

regsvr32 can register cross-arch DLLs

Those working with COM know of the famous little utility called regsvr32.exe. This little tool can register a DLL COM server in the system registry, making it available to COM clients.

But how does it work? Is it truly a magical tool? Not so much. When instructed to register a COM DLL, regsvr32.exe does three things:

  1. Calls LoadLibrary to load the provided DLL into its address space.
  2. Calls GetProcAddress for the DllRegisterServer function which must be exported by the DLL – otherwise regsvr32 reports failure.
  3. Calls the function – DllRegisterServer and reports success or error depending on the returned HRESULT.

So in essence, the DLL registers itself.

The curious thing about regsvr32.exe is that using the 64-bit version of regsvr32 manages to register 32-bit COM DLLs (not just 64-bit DLLs).

How can this be? Windows rules state that a 64-bit process cannot load a 32-bit DLL, and vice versa (except for resource-only DLLs, which can be loaded cross architecture, which is not the case with COM DLLs).

Using ProcMonX (ProcMon works just as well), we setup capture for process creation and module load events only, and add a simple filter for regsvr32 process names:

regsvr32_1

regsvr32_2

Now by running the 64-bit regsvr32 on a 32-bit COM DLL, we get some output. Here is the interesting parts:

regsvr32_3

regsvr32_4

Now it’s clear: the 64-bit regsvr32 recognizes that the DLL is 32-bit and thus spawns the 32 bit regsvr32 to handle it. Perhaps regsvr32 is not that simple, after all.