Compilers can remove security protections from C code through legal optimizations, introducing vulnerabilities; researcher Chris Domas at Black Hat USA 2026 identifies 300 dangerous patterns in 500M lines of code, recommends developers test optimized binaries.

Your Compiler Can Undo Your Security Checks

Big thanks to @ThreatLocker for sponsoring my trip to Black Hat USA 2026 and also for sponsoring this video. To start your free trial with ThreatLocker please use the following link: https://www.threatlocker.com/davidbombal You can write secure C code, follow accepted best practices and still end up with a vulnerable binary. The reason is simple: the CPU does not run your source code. It runs whatever the compiler produces.David sits down with security researcher Chris Domas at Black Hat to exa...