Introduction to return oriented programming (ROP)

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What is ROP?

Return Oriented Programming (ROP) is a powerful technique used to counter common exploit prevention strategies. In particular, ROP is useful for circumventing Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR)1 and DEP2. When using ROP, an attacker uses his/her control over the stack right before the return from a function to direct code execution to some other location in the program. Except on very hardened binaries, attackers can easily find a portion of code that is located in a fixed location (circumventing ASLR) and which is executable (circumventing DEP). Furthermore, it is relatively straightforward to chain several payloads to achieve (almost) arbitrary code execution.

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