Introduction to Binary Exploitation

Presented by Google Developer Groups on Campus - Asia Pacific University Chapter

📅 Event Details

Date: Thursday, 26 March 2026

Time: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM (MYT)

Venue: S-08-2 Classroom* (APU Campus) + Online via Bevy

Format: Hybrid (In-person & Online via Bevy)

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Department: Cyber Security Department

Workshop Lead: Low Ze Xuan

🎯 About This Workshop

Curious about how binary exploitation works in Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions? Join us for Introduction to Binary Exploitation, a beginner-friendly workshop designed to introduce participants to the core concepts behind solving binary exploitation challenges.

In CTFs, binary exploitation involves analyzing compiled programs, identifying vulnerabilities, and using them to gain control of the program’s behavior. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to important concepts such as format string vulnerabilities, buffer overflows, canary leaks, libc leaks, stack alignment, and Return-Oriented Programming (ROP).

This session is designed to focus on helping participants understand the overall ideas and workflow behind binary exploitation rather than diving too deeply into theory. The goal is to make the topic more approachable, spark interest, and encourage participants to continue exploring binary exploitation further on their own.

👥 Who Should Attend?

This workshop is perfect for:

• CTF beginners who want to get started with binary exploitation

• Intermediate participants looking to strengthen their foundation

• Students interested in learning how binary exploitation challenges work

• Anyone curious about low-level security concepts in a practical CTF setting

Prerequisites:

• Basic knowledge of assembly code

• Basic understanding of registers

• Basic Python programming knowledge

📚 What You’ll Learn

By the end of this workshop, you will:

✅ Understand the basics of binary exploitation in CTF challenges

✅ Learn what format string vulnerabilities are and how they can be abused

✅ Explore how buffer overflow attacks work

✅ Understand the purpose of canaries and how canary leaks happen

✅ Learn what libc leaks are and why they matter in exploitation

✅ Gain exposure to stack alignment and its importance

✅ Get introduced to Return-Oriented Programming (ROP)

⏱️ Workshop Agenda

6:30 PM - 6:40 PM | Welcome and Introduction

• Objectives of the workshop

6:40 PM - 7:20 PM | Theory Lesson Part 1

• Format String Vulnerabilities

• Buffer Overflow

• Canary

• Libc Leak

7:20 PM - 7:45 PM | Hands-On Part 1

7:45 PM - 8:10 PM | Theory Lesson Part 2

• Return-Oriented Programming

• Stack Alignment

8:10 PM - 8:30 PM | Hands-On Part 2

🛠️ Tools & Platforms

• Kali Linux

• pwninit

• Python

Challenge files provided by the workshop lead

💡 Why This Workshop?

Binary exploitation can seem intimidating at first, especially for those new to low-level security and CTF challenges. This workshop is designed to make the topic easier to approach by focusing on the key concepts and showing participants how these vulnerabilities appear in practice.

Rather than expecting participants to fully master every technical detail in one session, this workshop aims to build curiosity, strengthen foundational understanding, and provide a starting point for deeper exploration into binary exploitation.

💬 Join The WhatsApp Group!

WhatsApp Group: Join our workshop discussion group for updates, Q&A, and networking!

🔗 https://chat.whatsapp.com/JT1s9SXzAwe8T3NneI72u5

📧 Questions?

Connect with us through our social media channels and send us a message!