Passed SecurityTube Linux Assembly Expert x86_64 (SLAE64)

securitychops

I had planned on starting work on the SLAE64 immediately after finishing the OSCE, however I ended up with a little bit of certification burnout so I took a few months off ... but I am back and ready to share my experience with taking the SecurityTube Linux Assembly Expert x86_64 (SLAE64)!

Just like the x86 version that I reviewed earlier (https://community.infosecinstitute.com/discussion/132948/passed-securitytube-linux-assembly-expert-slae) I was extremely pleased with the overall experience of this course.  I once again learned a lot, and was pleasantly surprised at how seamless the transition from x86 assembly to x86_64 assembly was.  Just like last time, Vivek did a great job of explaining the core concepts and walking the viewer (me) through all of the material.

One thing I would like to point out is that there is a lot of overlap between the x86 and x86_64 versions of the course.  To the tune of the final exam being almost identical in every single way.  There are a few additional requirements on a couple assignments ... but if you have done the x86 version you are going to be experiencing a lot of deja vu.  

However, even though there is so much overlap between the two courses I would still recommend doing them both if you have never done much with shellcode before.  They are just different enough that I feel like it would merit it.  Plus the final exam is still in the same format as the x86 version, which is blogging/github/etc.  And just like last time I had to again dig deep into concepts in order to be able to properly explain them in writing.

All in all, I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn more about 64bit shellcoding.  I consider it a great value at only $149

Below is a breakdown of the course timeline:

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Oct 30, 2018: Course Purchased

Oct 30, 2018: Course materials arrived via email (7ish GB download)

Oct 31, 2018: Realized I was completely burned out and needed a break

Feb 02, 2019: Actually started course

Mar 11, 2019: Sent in final exam (links to blog posts, github, etc)

Mar 14, 2019: Received email congratulating me on passing

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As for study materials/tools, here is most of what I used:

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http://blog.rchapman.org/posts/Linux_System_Call_Table_for_x86_64/
https://cs.brown.edu/courses/cs033/docs/guides/x64_****.pdf
http://ref.x86asm.net/coder64.html

https://defuse.ca/online-x86-assembler.htm

https://www.google.com

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My blog posts and code just in case anyone wants to read them:

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Github: https://github.com/securitychops/security-tube-slae64

Blog Posts:

https://securitychops.com/2019/02/02/slae64-assignment-1-shell-bind-tcp-shellcode.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/02/09/slae64-assignment-2-reverse-shell-tcp-shellcode.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/02/16/slae64-assignment-3-egghunter-shellcode.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/02/18/slae64-assignment-4-custom-encoder.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/03/slae64-assignment-5-analysis-of-shellcode-part-1.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/04/slae64-assignment-5-analysis-of-shellcode-part-2.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/07/slae64-assignment-5-analysis-of-shellcode-part-3.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/09/slae64-assignment-6-polymorphic-shellcode-part-1.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/10/slae64-assignment-6-polymorphic-shellcode-part-2.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/11/slae64-assignment-6-polymorphic-shellcode-part-3.html

https://securitychops.com/2019/03/12/slae64-assignment-7-custom-crypter.html

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chrisone

Very cool Chop! Congrats on the victory! By the way change your avatar to the one you have on twitter