SEC-201 · Kernel Security
Multi-Branch Backporting
Taking an upstream fix and applying it correctly across several maintained branches — the core skill of a vendor security team.
Who this course is for
Maintenance and security engineers carrying fixes across several product kernels at once — the daily work of a vendor kernel security team, taught from current vendor-side practice.
Prerequisites
Course outline
Day 1 — Finding the real fix
- Reading the upstream fix: what the patch does versus what the commit message claims
- Fixes: tags, commit ancestry and following the prerequisite chain backwards
- Refactors that precede the fix: when you need them and when you work around them
- Stable rules and what 'must be in mainline first' means in practice
- Reconstructing a multi-commit dependency graph for one CVE
Day 2 — Applying across diverged branches
- Textual vs semantic conflicts: when git applies cleanly and is still wrong
- Diverged-context strategies: renamed APIs, moved files and changed locking
- Forward ports, backports and revert queues: keeping each branch's story straight
- Equivalence checking: range-diff, side-by-side review and what reviewers actually check
- Regression risk assessment: blast radius, test selection and what 'boot-tested' is worth
Day 3 — Running the patch matrix
- Separating apply, build, boot and test status per branch — and tracking it
- Targeted reproducers: writing the smallest test that proves the fix
- Build matrices and smoke boots with QEMU
- Patch provenance: upstream tags, changelogs and the audit trail
- Rollback planning: revert queues and what you do when a backport breaks a customer
Hands-on labs
Labs follow the academy model — 35% principles, 20% guided investigation, 45% engineering studio. Every claim you make in a lab is backed by a trace, a counter or a measurement you captured yourself. How we teach
- Lab: Reconstruct the dependency chain behind a real security fix using git log, Fixes: tags and blame
- Lab: Resolve a textual conflict, then a semantic conflict git accepted silently — and catch the difference
- Lab: Backport a fix to an older branch and verify equivalence with range-diff and a targeted test
- Lab: Write a minimal reproducer that fails on the unpatched branch and passes after your backport
- Lab: Maintain an apply/build/boot/test matrix for one fix across three branches, with rollback notes
Capstone project
Backport a real security fix from mainline to an older product branch: deliver the ordered patch queue with provenance, conflict-resolution notes, an equivalence argument (range-diff plus a targeted reproducer), a build/boot/test matrix and a ready revert queue — the exact bundle a vendor security team hands to release engineering.
What you leave with
- A dependency-reconstruction method that finds the whole fix, not the headline patch
- Conflict-resolution judgement for textual vs semantic divergence
- Equivalence-checking habits: range-diff plus targeted tests
- A patch-matrix tracking format reusable on your own branches
- Rollback and revert-queue discipline for when a backport goes wrong
How it runs
Every course follows the same model: 35% principles, 20% guided investigation, 45% engineering studio. You leave with working code, raw measurements and an evidence-based report — not a certificate of attendance. Read the methodology or see a full sample lesson.
Material is adapted to your kernel version, hardware and workload before a private delivery. For public cohorts, the environment is provided and configured.
Questions
Who is this course for?
Maintenance and security engineers carrying fixes across several product kernels at once — the daily work of a vendor kernel security team, taught from current vendor-side practice. It sits at advanced level within the Kernel Security track.
What do I need to know already?
Specific prerequisites for this course: Solid git: rebase, cherry-pick, range-diff and conflict resolution; Ability to build and boot-test a kernel; C reading skills sufficient to follow a fix and its surrounding context. We confirm levels before the cohort starts and adapt if a group is stronger or weaker than expected.
Can this run privately for my team?
Yes. Any course runs on-site at your offices anywhere, or live online for a distributed team, with labs adapted to your hardware and codebase.
What is the difference between in-person and online?
In person is 3 full days with hardware on your desk, capped at 14. Online is 6 half-day sessions across about two weeks so you can keep working, capped at 20, with remote lab access.
Do you invoice companies?
Yes. Purchase orders are accepted and invoicing is available in USD, EUR, GBP, SAR and CAD.
Upcoming dates
| Dates | Where | Seats | Early bird | Regular | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov – 3 Nov 20263 full days | RiyadhIn person · KAFD Conference Centre | 12 of 14 | — | SAR 9,000 | |
| 8 Nov – 10 Nov 20263 full days | Kuwait CityIn person · Al Hamra Tower | 7 of 14 | KWD 670until 9 Oct | ||
| 15 Nov – 17 Nov 20263 full days | MuscatIn person · Knowledge Oasis Muscat | 12 of 14 | OMR 830until 16 Oct | ||
| 15 Nov – 22 Nov 20266 half-days | Gulf bandLive online · 09:00–13:00 GMT+3 | 10 of 20 | US$1,580until 16 Oct | ||
| 16 Nov – 18 Nov 20263 full days | OttawaIn person · Kanata North Tech Park | 7 of 14 | CAD 2,930until 17 Oct | ||
| 23 Nov – 25 Nov 20263 full days | TorontoIn person · MaRS Discovery District | 12 of 14 | CAD 2,930until 24 Oct | ||
| 23 Nov – 30 Nov 20266 half-days | Europe bandLive online · 09:00–13:00 CET | 15 of 20 | US$1,580until 24 Oct | ||
| 23 Nov – 30 Nov 20266 half-days | Americas bandLive online · 13:00–17:00 ET | 4 of 20 | US$1,580until 24 Oct | ||
| 30 Nov – 2 Dec 20263 full days | LondonIn person · Shoreditch Works | 7 of 14 | GBP 1,680until 31 Oct | ||
| 30 Nov – 2 Dec 20263 full days | BerlinIn person · Factory Görlitzer Park | 12 of 14 | EUR 1,990until 31 Oct |
Dates shown for the next few months. If nothing fits, tell us where and when — cohorts are added on demand, and private delivery can be scheduled any week.
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