Mastering Windows System Programming

2025-02-13

Windows System Programming is a critical skill for cybersecurity professionals, firmware engineers, and developers working on low-level systems. This 8-day live training course, led by a seasoned security researcher and firmware engineer, offers an in-depth exploration of Windows internals, kernel development, and system programming. Below, we provide practical commands and code snippets to help you get started with Windows system programming, even before the course begins.

Key Topics Covered in the Course

1. Windows Internals: Understanding the architecture of Windows OS, including processes, threads, and memory management.

2. Kernel Development: Writing and debugging kernel-mode drivers.

1. Reverse Engineering: Analyzing malware and understanding its behavior.
2. Firmware and Hypervisor Development: Exploring UEFI and virtualization technologies.

Practical Commands and Code Snippets

1. Viewing Running Processes in Windows

Use PowerShell to list all running processes:

Get-Process

2. Analyzing System Memory

Check memory usage with the following command:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object TotalVisibleMemorySize, FreePhysicalMemory

3. Creating a Simple Kernel-Mode Driver

Below is a basic example of a kernel-mode driver in C:

#include <ntddk.h>

VOID DriverUnload(PDRIVER_OBJECT DriverObject) {
DbgPrint("Driver Unloaded.\n");
}

NTSTATUS DriverEntry(PDRIVER_OBJECT DriverObject, PUNICODE_STRING RegistryPath) {
DriverObject->DriverUnload = DriverUnload;
DbgPrint("Driver Loaded.\n");
return STATUS_SUCCESS;
}

4. Debugging with WinDbg

Attach WinDbg to a running process for debugging:

windbg -pn processname.exe

5. Reverse Engineering with IDA Pro

Disassemble a binary to analyze its functionality:

• Open the binary in IDA Pro.
• Use the graph view to visualize control flow.

What Undercode Say

Windows System Programming is a cornerstone of cybersecurity and low-level system development. Mastering it requires a deep understanding of Windows internals, kernel-mode programming, and reverse engineering. Here are some additional Linux-based commands and tools that complement the skills taught in this course:

1. Linux Kernel Module Development

Create a simple kernel module:

#include <linux/init.h>
#include <linux/module.h>

MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
MODULE_AUTHOR("Your Name");

static int __init hello_init(void) {
printk(KERN_INFO "Hello, World!\n");
return 0;
}

static void __exit hello_exit(void) {
printk(KERN_INFO "Goodbye, World!\n");
}

module_init(hello_init);
module_exit(hello_exit);

2. Analyzing Malware on Linux

Use `strace` to trace system calls:

strace -f -o output.txt ./malware

3. Memory Forensics with Volatility

Analyze a memory dump for signs of malware:

volatility -f memory.dump --profile=Win10x64 pslist

4. Virtualization with QEMU

Run a virtual machine for testing:

qemu-system-x86_64 -hda disk.img -m 2048

5. UEFI Development

Build a simple UEFI application using EDK II:

build -a X64 -p OvmfPkg/OvmfPkgX64.dsc -t GCC5

For further reading, explore the following resources:

• Windows Internals Book
• IDA Pro Documentation
• Volatility Foundation

By combining Windows and Linux tools, you can build a robust skill set for system programming and cybersecurity. This course is an excellent opportunity to dive deep into these topics and enhance your expertise.

References:

Hackers Feeds, Undercode AI