The First Annual Underhanded C Contest

Xcott Craver writes "We have just announced a new annual contest, the Underhanded C Contest, to write clear, readable, innocent-looking C code that implements malicious behavior. The object is to hide evil functionality that survives visual inspection of the source. The prize is beer."

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This will work

[The Original Yama]

People will do anything for beer! Who needs speech when you're gulping down a cold lager?

Re:This will work

[isny]

Based on past experience, free beer is usually the first step toward free speech.

Re:This will work

[hostyle]

Moderation nazi!

in other words...

[beta-guy]

kill the brain cells that made innocent looking malicous code :P

Re:in other words...

[crisco]

Ah, but any other self respecting, non beer drinking programmer will recognize its value as currency among lesser mortals. Even simply passing the prize along to lesser mortals can induce acts of goodwill.

Re:What are the legal ramifications of this?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pussy.

Beer? Phui!

[devross]

The object is to hide evil functionality that survives visual inspection of the source.

The prize is world domination!

I think I might win

[numbware]

#include
main()
{
printf("Hello World");
}

Seemingly harmless, right? Wrong. It's still in devlopment, but think about it. You should have to greet the world before you destroy it. :)

like this?

[LiquidCoooled]

#include stuff.h
void main()
{
/* nothing / */ /* to see / * here */
/* whats * / challenging / * about */
/* this */ /* there / is no */ evil /*
screensaver(); * function */ /* here
anyone that thinks there is * / needs */
/* their / * / eyes testing */ ();
}

585

Re:like this?

[Dun Malg]

Nice idea, but it doesn't look innoucuous. It looks like a trick. I think the contest is for code the equivalent of a razor blade in a nice looking apple, rather than a razor blade hidden in a pile of clearly marked rat poison.

Here you go

[titzandkunt]

Just tuck it away in a commonly used header file, use touch to restore the last date/time of modification, and you're all set.

#define void int

Hours & hours of irritation & confusion!

T&K.

Re:Here you go

[Anonymous Coward]

I actually did something like that once, for reasons that had nothing to do with obsfucation.

You see, I had to write some kind of simulation program that required a huge array of numbers. I wasn't sure whether to use "long int", to avoid overflow, or "short int", to avoid wasting memory. So I thought, "OK, I'll use a typedef, and so if I pick the wrong type, I can easily change it later."

But I was afraid that, out of habit, I would accidentally use "int" instead of my typedef. So I "temporarily" added "#define int ERROR" to my code.

Unfortunately, by the time I got around to compiling "int main()", I had completely forgotten about that #define, and couldn't figure out where the compile error was coming from.

Re:What are the legal ramifications of this?

[bighoov]

Can you even breathe in that tinfoil cocoon?

Re:SxE anyone???

[Hatta]

The prize is beer.

What if someone in the straight edge crowed wins?

They can give the beer to me.

Here's my entry:

[stinky wizzleteats]

title Windows
root (hd0,0)
chainloader +1

Now where's my beer?

Diebold Hiring the winner!

[tvlinux]

Help Wanted:
Diebold needs new programmers. If you have what it takes to hide "winning" code in our election machines. Apply to Diebold Careers

Re:Diebold

[ceejayoz]

Pfft.

It's supposed to survive inspection, remember. giveElectionToTheRepublican() is underhanded, but it probably won't survive inspection. ;-)

Cheating?

[Maxwell'sSilverLART]

Am I required to submit original source code, written by me, or can I merely submit the leaked Windows source, and thus be assured of victory?

Would the Windows source code count?

[Sniper_Peabody]

It looks innocent but is about as evil as it gets.

Subtlety

[Dirtside]

The prize is beer.

...but the beer is poisoned!

Some dude from Microsoft is gonna win...

[swillden]

He'll submit the source code to IE.

here's my entry

[thdexter]

#include <notavirus.h>
#include <seriouslyitisnt.h>

So long as they don't check notavirus.h I think I'm in the clear for visual inspection.

how's this?

[spongman]

int main () { WinExec ("iexplore.exe"); }

Re:how's this?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's Internet Explorer. He's assuming the computer will be compromised before it would reach the return statement.

So The Hard Part Is To

[Master of Transhuman]

"write clear, readable, innocent-looking C code", right?

Wow, nobody's going to win this one.

Re:If crashing is "malicious behavior"

[proverbialcow]

doesn't that make basically all c code underhanded?

Nope. Only the code that includes

#include <windows.h>

*ducks*

Obligatory simpsons paraphrase

[Sentry21]

Programmer: 'Take this source code, but beware! It carries a terrible curse!'
Judge: 'That's bad.'
Programmer: 'But it's optimized for PowerPC!'
Judge: 'That's good!'
Programmer: 'PowerPC is also cursed.'
Judge: 'That's bad.'
Programmer: 'But you get your choice of operating systems!'
Judge: 'That's good!'
Programmer: 'The operating systems run on Intel.' *pause* 'That's bad.'
Judge: 'Can I go now?'

I think this is more appropriate

[btarval]

Almost. All it takes is a one-line change to make this malicious program into what should be the motto of this contest:

main() { printf("Goodbye World!\n"); }

Re:It's a bad idea

[dcam]

You accidently create a dozen instances of yourself and shoot them all in the foot. Providing emergency medical assistance is impossible since you can't tell which are bitwise copies and which are just pointing at others and saying "That's me, over there."

Source