Skip to main content

C/C++ on Windows packaging

Your C/C++ applications must meet specific compilation requirements before you can submit them for scanning.

See Supported languages and platforms for instructions for other platforms.

Required files

Veracode requires all binary executables, all required libraries, and the complete debug information for the application.

Supported C/C++ on Windows platforms and compiler versions

LanguagePlatformVersionCompiler
C/C++ (32-bit/64-bit)WindowsWindows Desktop Environments:
  • Windows XP
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 10
Windows Server Environments:
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Visual C++ 7.0 for Visual Studio .NET 2002
  • Visual C++ 7.1 for Visual Studio .NET 2003
  • Visual C++ 8.0 for Visual Studio 2005
  • Visual C++ 9.0 for Visual Studio 2008
  • Visual C++ 10.0 for Visual Studio 2010
  • Visual C++ 11.0 for Visual Studio 2012
  • Visual C++ 12.0 for Visual Studio 2013
  • Visual C++ 14.0 for Visual Studio 2015
  • Visual C++ 14.1.x for Visual Studio 2017
  • Visual C++ 14.2.x for Visual Studio 2019
  • Visual C++ 14.3.x for Visual Studio 2022

Supported architectures

Veracode supports analyzing Windows C/C++ code compiled for the Intel IA32 and X86_64 architectures. Veracode does not currently support analyzing Windows C/C++ code compiled for Itanium (IA64), Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC, ARM, or other microarchitectures.

Platform-specific debug settings

You can automate these compilation settings by using the Veracode Visual Studio Extension.

Ensure that you compile the binary files with these settings:

  • Project Properties > Configuration Properties > C/C++ > General

    Set Debug Information Format to Program Database using the /Zi option.

  • Project Properties > Configuration Properties > C/C++ > Optimization

    When possible, set Optimization to Disabled using the/Od option.

  • Project Properties > Configuration Properties > C/C++ > Code Generation

    • Set Basic Runtime Checks to Default. On the command line, ensure that /RTC is not set.
    • Set Runtime Library to Multi-threaded Debug or Multi-threaded Debug DLL using the /MTd, /MDd, or /LDd options.
    • Set Buffer Security Check to No using the /GS- option.
  • Project Properties > Configuration Properties > Linker > General

    Set Enable Incremental Linking to No using the /INCREMENTAL:NO options.

  • Project Properties > Configuration Properties > Linker > Debugging

    Choose Generate Debug Information optimized for sharing and publishing using the /DEBUG:FULL option.

  • Retain the generated PDB file. It is a required dependency.

Building and linking applications using the command line

If you are building a Visual C++ application from the command line, Veracode requires that the /Zi, /Od and /GS- flags are set, the /RTC flag is not set, and a debug run-time library is selected, if you are explicitly specifying the /M or /L option. For example, {{ /MDd, /MLd, /MTd, /LDd}} when you compile. You must set the /INCREMENTAL:NO and /DEBUG flags when linking the application.

This example shows the command-line flags required to build an application for Veracode analysis.

cl.exe /Zi /Od /GS- /MTd /link /INCREMENTAL:NO /DEBUG:FULL

Optimized code

Although Veracode can analyze some Windows C/C++ binaries compiled with optimization, there could be some reduction of results quality. Specifically, Veracode strongly recommends these settings to analyze Windows binaries compiled with optimization:

  • MSVC7: analysis of optimized binaries built with MSVC 7 and earlier is unsupported
  • MSVC8: disable Frame Pointer Omission optimization with the /Oy- command-line flag
  • MSVC9: no specific issues

C/C++ Windows application profile

  • You must package applications as EXE, DLL, or ZIP files.
  • Debug symbols are mandatory for main executables. Veracode strongly recommends that you also provide debug symbols for dependent libraries, when possible, to achieve higher-quality scan results.
  • Failure to upload debug symbols for Windows C/C++ applications prevents the scan from proceeding.
  • Failure to upload dependencies for Windows C/C++ applications results in a warning during prescan.