Linux Kernel Debugging and Security

This instructor-led course focuses on the important tools used for debugging and monitoring the kernel, and how security features are implemented and controlled.

Who Is It For

This course is for experienced developers who need to understand the methods and internal infrastructure of the Linux kernel.

What You’ll Learn

This four day course includes extensive hands-on exercises and demonstrations designed to give you the necessary tools to develop and debug Linux kernel code.

What It Prepares You For

You will walk away from this course with a solid understanding of Linux kernel. debugging techniques and tools.

Course Outline

• Introduction
• Preliminaries
• How to Work in OSS Projects **
• Kernel Features
• Monitoring and Debugging
• The proc Filesystem **
• kprobes
• Ftrace
• Perf
• eBPF
• Crash
• Kernel Core Dumps
• Virtualization**
• QEMU
• Linux Kernel Debugging Tools
• Embedded Linux**
• Notifiers**
• CPU Frequency Scaling**
• Netlink Sockets**
• Introduction to Linux Kernel Security
• Linux Security Modules (LSM)
• SELinux
• AppArmor
• Netfilter
• The Virtual File System
• Filesystems in User-Space (FUSE)**
• Journaling Filesystems**
• Closing and Evaluation Survey
• Appendices
• Kernel Architecture I
• Kernel Programming Preview
• Modules
• Kernel Architecture II
• Kernel Configuration and Compilation
• Kernel Style and General Considerations
• Race Conditions and Synchronization Methods
• Memory Addressing
• Memory Allocation

** These sections may be considered in part or in whole as optional. They contain either background reference material, specialized topics, or advanced subjects. The instructor may choose to cover or not cover them depending on classroom experience and time constraints.

Learning Path

To make the most of this course, you should:

• Be proficient in the C programming language.
• Be familiar with basic Linux (UNIX) utilities such as ls, grep and tar.
• Be comfortable using any of the available text editors (e.g. emacs, vi, etc.).
• Experience with any major Linux distribution is helpful but not strictly required.
• Have experience equivalent to having taken LFD420: Linux Kernel Internals and Development.

Pre-class preparation material will be provided before class.