42Cursus (Outer Core Projects)

List of projects developed during the Outer Core (Jul 22, 2024 - ) in order of completion

• Computor v1 : This project is a polynomial equation solver in Python, capable of parsing, reducing, and solving second-degree equations, including handling complex solutions. Key learnings include parsing user input, implementing mathematical formulas, and visualizing results with plotting. The project also features advanced options like showing intermediate steps and converting solutions to irreducible fractions. Final Grade: 125%.

• Libasm : This project is a deep dive into assembly programming, focusing on reimplementing standard C functions in x86-64 assembly. It includes functions like strlen, strcpy, strcmp, write, read, and strdup, working with system calls and error handling. Key learning points include low-level memory manipulation, system call interaction, and optimizing code for efficiency in assembly language. Final Grade: 100%.

• ft_linear_regression : This project implements a linear regression model in Python to predict values based on a dataset, using gradient descent for optimization. Key learnings include data normalization, model training, and evaluation metrics like R² and RMSE. The project also features visualization tools for plotting datasets and regression lines, enhancing understanding of model performance. Final Grade: 125%.

• malloc : This project is a custom implementation of memory management functions (malloc, free, realloc, and calloc) in C, mimicking the behavior of the standard library. Key learnings include memory allocation using mmap, managing heap structures, and handling thread safety with mutexes. The project also features logging and memory alignment, providing insights into low-level memory management and debugging techniques. Final Grade: 125%.

• Darkly : This project explores common web security vulnerabilities, including SQL injection, XSS, and brute force attacks, through 14 practical exploitation scenarios. The goal is to understand how these breaches occur and how to mitigate them effectively. Key takeaways include web security principles, ethical hacking techniques, and defensive programming strategies. Project made in collaboration with Israel Rifarachi - Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_ping : The ft_ping project is a custom implementation of the ping command in C, designed to test network connectivity and measure round-trip time (RTT) for IPv4 addresses. Key points include handling ICMP packets, managing socket options, and implementing features like TTL, timeout, and verbose output. The project emphasizes error handling, signal management, and efficient packet processing, providing a deep understanding of network protocols and low-level system programming in C. Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_traceroute : The ft_traceroute project is a custom implementation of the traceroute command in C, designed to trace the path packets take to reach a destination by incrementing the TTL (Time to Live) value. Key points include handling ICMP packets, managing socket options, and implementing features like TTL, timeout, and hostname resolution. The project emphasizes error handling, efficient packet processing, and understanding network protocols, providing a deep dive into low-level system programming and network tracing in C. Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_ssl_md5 : The ft_ssl_md5 project is a custom implementation of cryptographic hash functions (MD5, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512) in C, designed to generate secure message digests. Key points include handling message padding, bitwise operations, and implementing the core algorithms for each hash function. The project emphasizes efficient memory management, error handling, and understanding of cryptographic principles, providing a deep dive into low-level system programming and secure hashing techniques in C. Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_ssl_des : The ft_ssl_des project is a custom implementation of cryptographic algorithms (DES, Base64, and PBKDF2) in C, designed for encryption, decryption, and secure key generation. Key points include handling DES modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB), Base64 encoding/decoding, and PBKDF2 key derivation using HMAC-SHA256. The project emphasizes secure memory management, error handling, and understanding of cryptographic principles, providing a deep dive into low-level system programming and encryption techniques in C. Final Grade: 112%.

• ft_ssl_rsa : The ft_ssl_rsa project is a custom implementation of RSA cryptographic algorithms in C, designed for key generation, handling, encryption, decryption, and key cracking. Key points include generating RSA keys, performing modular arithmetic, and implementing the Miller-Rabin primality test. The project emphasizes secure key handling, efficient memory management, and understanding of cryptographic principles, providing a deep dive into low-level system programming and RSA encryption techniques in C. Final Grade: 115%.

• Snow Crash : This project is an introduction to cybersecurity through Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges in a controlled virtual machine environment. Each level presents a different vulnerability, such as weak encryption, command injection, and privilege escalation, which must be exploited to progress. Key learnings include ethical hacking techniques, system security flaws, and hands-on experience with penetration testing methodologies. Project made in collaboration with Carlos Escañuela - Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_ls : Custom implementation of Unix ls command in C. Features include long format (-l), recursive (-R), sorting by time/size, human-readable sizes (-h), color output, ACL/xattr detection, and 15+ options. Built with custom libft library, merge sort algorithm, and optimized memory management. Key learning: system calls, file permissions, directory traversal, data structures, and Unix filesystem concepts. Comprehensive recreation matching real ls behavior. Final Grade: 119%.

• ft_nm : This project is a reimplementation of the UNIX nm command in C, focusing on parsing and displaying symbol tables from ELF binaries. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, as well as object files and shared libraries. The goal is to replicate the behavior of nm, ensuring correct output formatting, robust error handling, and memory-safe operations when working with raw binary data. Key learnings include ELF file structure, low-level system calls (mmap, fstat), binary parsing, and defensive programming to prevent crashes from malformed inputs. Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_nmap : This project is a reimplementation of a subset of the nmap port scanner in C. It focuses on scanning IPv4 addresses to detect open, closed, or filtered ports using techniques such as SYN, NULL, FIN, XMAS, ACK, and UDP scans. The program supports threaded execution (up to 250 threads) for faster scans, handling single IPs or lists from files, and customizable port ranges. Key learnings include network programming with raw sockets, packet crafting and analysis using the pcap library, concurrency with pthreads, and robust error handling to ensure reliability when interacting directly with low-level networking. Final Grade: 125%.

• ft_linux : Project focused on building a minimal yet functional Linux distribution entirely from source. The goal is to understand the Linux ecosystem by assembling and configuring every component manually — from compiling the kernel to setting up the filesystem hierarchy, bootloader, and essential packages. The project includes creating partitions, implementing a kernel module loader, and ensuring network connectivity. Through this, it is gained deep insight into system initialization, process management, build automation with autotools, and how userland and kernel interact to form a complete, bootable operating system. Final Grade: 108%.