Extra Credit 4

Due: November 21, 2025
Points: 50

Short Answer

Answer these questions in one or two sentences.

1. (10 points) Find a news article or blog post that describes something about security that is incorrect. Submit the article or post (a URL or a DOI that enables us to read the article or post is sufficient) and explain why it is incorrect.

Longer Answer

Remember to write clearly (if you need help, go to the Writing Center on campus) and justify your answers!

1. (40 points) The program setdate, produced by compiling setdate.c, runs setuid to root. Its function is to change the date of the system. Please analyze the robustness and security of this program using the source code (available in the Programs area of the class web page). In particular, how hard would it be for someone to obtain excess privileges using this program? How hard would it be for someone to supply input that caused the program to crash, or do something wrong?

Matt Bishop Office: 2209 Watershed Sciences Phone: +1 (530) 752-8060 Email: mabishop@ucdavis.edu

ECS 235A, Computer and Information Security Version of November 11, 2025 at 9:29PM

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