You're reading from Linux Kernel Debugging Leverage proven tools and advanced techniques to effectively debug Linux kernels and kernel modules

Product type Paperback

Published in Aug 2022

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781801075039

Length 638 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Tools

Linux

Concepts

System Administration

Author (1):

Kaiwan N. Billimoria

View More author details

Table of Contents (17) Chapters

Preface

1. Part 1: A General Introduction and Approaches to Kernel Debugging

2. Chapter 1: A General Introduction to Debugging Software FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: Approaches to Kernel Debugging

4. Part 2: Kernel and Driver Debugging Tools and Techniques

5. Chapter 3: Debug via Instrumentation – printk and Friends

6. Chapter 4: Debug via Instrumentation – Kprobes

7. Chapter 5: Debugging Kernel Memory Issues – Part 1

8. Chapter 6: Debugging Kernel Memory Issues – Part 2

9. Chapter 7: Oops! Interpreting the Kernel Bug Diagnostic

10. Chapter 8: Lock Debugging

11. Part 3: Additional Kernel Debugging Tools and Techniques

12. Chapter 9: Tracing the Kernel Flow

13. Chapter 10: Kernel Panic, Lockups, and Hangs

14. Chapter 11: Using Kernel GDB (KGDB)

15. Chapter 12: A Few More Kernel Debugging Approaches

16. Other Books You May Enjoy

Using KASAN and UBSAN to find memory bugs

The Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) is a port of the Address Sanitizer (ASAN) tooling of the Linux kernel. The ASAN project proved to be so useful in detecting memory-related defects that having similar abilities within the kernel was a no-brainer. ASAN is one of the few tools that could detect the buffer overread defect that was at the root of the (in)famous so-called Heartbleed exploit! See the Further reading section for a very interesting XKCD comic link that superbly illustrates the bug at the heart of Heartbleed.

Understanding KASAN – the basics

A few points on KASAN will help you understand more:

KASAN is a dynamic – runtime – analysis tool; it works while the code runs. This should have you realize that unless the code actually runs (executes), KASAN will not catch any bugs. This underlines the importance of writing really good test cases (both positive and negative), and the use of fuzzing tools...