SEC-201 · Kernel Security · Advanced
Multi-Branch Backporting — full syllabus
Taking an upstream fix and applying it correctly across several maintained branches — the core skill of a vendor security team.
Duration3 full days in person · 6 half-days online
Cohortmax 14 in person · 20 online
Pricefrom SAR 9,000 in person · local pricing per city
Delivery35% principles · 20% guided investigation · 45% engineering studio
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
- 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
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
- 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
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 |
Book a seat, or bring this course to your team
Seats can be reserved online; private delivery runs on-site or live online, adapted to your stack.
Questions about fit or prerequisites? Email hello@kernelsystems.academy. To save this syllabus, print this page to PDF from your browser.