The C language is commonly used for low-level programs like operating systems. When a programmer does not understand how their C program executes, they can easily introduce vulnerabilities into their code. The VACCSVisual system to help students learn how to develop more secure and robust C programs through a deeper understanding of the execution of their programs.

The system is comprised of two components:

• The Expression Evaluation tool shows the coercions that take place within an equation of integer variables.  The coercions are show step-wise and the types and decimal values of each variable before and after a coercion is shown.
• The Integer Representation tool shows the underlying representation of an integer variable and the effect on the representation and decimal value of the variable after a conversion.

Both tools are available for download from the download link above.

Check back, more tools will be available soon!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DGE-1522883, DGE-1523017 and DUE-1245310. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation

Contact jmayo@mtu.edu or steve.carr@wmich.edu with questions or comments.