cybersecurity · intermediate · ~15 min · safe pentest lab
Static-analysis-style detection of a specific bug shape.
Implement int looks_like_format_misuse(const char *line) that returns 1 if the line looks like printf(user_input) or fprintf(stream, user_input) where user_input is an identifier (not a string literal). Otherwise return 0.
A common static-analysis smell — printf(name) is a vulnerability if name is user-controlled.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <ctype.h>
int looks_like_format_misuse(const char *line) {
/* TODO */
return 0;
}
Solve this exercise in the browser editor — compile and run against the test harness, no setup required.