February 12, 2025
It’s been a rainy day in San Diego, which meant no hiking at Cowles Mountain. Instead, I’m shifting my focus to hitting the gym later tonight. Staying active is just as important as keeping up with my cybersecurity studies and job search.
Exploring In-Memory Injections
Today, I reviewed in-memory injections from CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 – 2.3. This attack method allows malware to execute directly in system memory, avoiding detection by traditional security tools. Malware can infiltrate memory using various techniques such as DLL injections, thread injections, buffer manipulations, and memory management functions.
One of the most common techniques is DLL injection, where a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) is loaded into the memory space of another running process. This method enables an attacker to execute malicious code within a legitimate application. Since the target application isn’t part of the DLL itself, the attack relies on modifying the application’s process to reference the malicious DLL.
Understanding Buffer Overflows
Another concept I studied today was buffer overflows. This occurs when a program writes more data into a memory buffer than it can handle, causing the overflow to spill into adjacent memory locations. If an attacker exploits this, they can overwrite memory addresses, execute arbitrary code, or crash the system.
A classic example is bounds checking, where an application should verify input sizes before writing to memory. If an input is larger than expected—say, entering a 10-character word into an 8-character buffer—it could lead to a buffer overflow. Attackers can use this vulnerability to manipulate program execution, sometimes injecting shellcode to gain control.
Final Thoughts
Cybersecurity is a never-ending learning process. The more I study, the more I realize how critical it is to understand system vulnerabilities and secure coding practices. As I continue to expand my knowledge, I’m also keeping up with my job applications and making sure I stay physically active. Balance is key in both cybersecurity and life.
Think Positive Cyber 