All Questions
8,628
questions
323
votes
16
answers
396k
views
Is there any disassembler to rival IDA Pro?
Is there any disassembler (not only a live debugger) second to IDA in capabilities? IDA is wonderful, and somewhat amazing in how robust and useful it is for reversing. However, it is quite expensive ...
- 4,028
125
votes
14
answers
124k
views
Where can I, as an individual, get malware samples to analyze?
It seems that a popular use of software reverse engineering skills is to reverse malicious code in an effort to build better protection for users.
The bottleneck here for people aspiring to break ...
119
votes
2
answers
104k
views
What is PLT/GOT?
From time to time, when disassembling x86 binaries, I stumble on
reference to PLT and GOT, especially when calling procedures from a
dynamic library.
For example, when running a program in gdb:
(gdb)...
- 18k
116
votes
1
answer
89k
views
How to handle stripped binaries with GDB? No source, no symbols and GDB only shows addresses?
I have GDB but the binary I want reverse engineer dynamically has no symbols, that is when I run the file utility it shows me stripped:
ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), ...
- 10.5k
95
votes
20
answers
126k
views
Decent GUI for GDB
Learning the GDB commands is on my bucket-list, but in the meantime is there a graphical debugger for *nix platforms that accepts Windbg commands, and has similar functionality? For example, the ...
- 3,836
83
votes
9
answers
262k
views
How do I reverse engineer .so files found in android APKs?
I know how to reverse engineer normal android APKs using tools like APK-tool anddex2jar but i don't know how to work with obfuscation. Can anyone help or atleast provide some pointers? I know this ...
- 1,105
81
votes
3
answers
121k
views
How are the segment registers (fs, gs, cs, ss, ds, es) used in Linux?
I try to understand the process of memory segmentation for the i386 and amd64 architectures on Linux. It seems that this is heavily related to the segment registers %fs, %gs, %cs, %ss, %ds, %es.
Can ...
- 18k
72
votes
9
answers
80k
views
Analyzing highly obfuscated JavaScript
I was recently analyzing a web page that contained some highly obfuscated JavaScript - it's clear that the author had went through quite a bit of effort to make it as hard to understand as possible. I'...
- 913
66
votes
2
answers
42k
views
What is DLL Injection and how is it used for reversing?
I was reading a discussion about dumping a processes part of a process's memory and someone suggested using DLL injection to do this. I'll be honest in that I don't really understand. How does DLL ...
- 1,387
66
votes
3
answers
12k
views
What is the purpose of 'mov edi, edi'?
I see this instruction in the beginning of several Windows programs.
It's copying a register to itself, so basically, this acts as a nop.
What's the purpose of this instruction?
- 4,465
64
votes
7
answers
128k
views
What are the possibilities for reverse engineering an IPA file to its source?
I browsed a lot, but can't find any resources for reverse engineering an IPA file (iPhone application). Is there any method to reverse engineer an IPA file to its source? I've tried to rename it to ...
64
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How can I analyze a potentially harmful binary safely?
I've recently managed to isolate and archive a few files that managed to wreak havoc on one of my client's systems. So I was wondering what software and techniques make the best sandbox for isolating ...
- 1,425
62
votes
6
answers
30k
views
Where to find (free) training in reverse engineering? [closed]
Can someone give a list of websites with good (and free) reverse engineering training exercises ?
- 18k
59
votes
7
answers
125k
views
What is a good Java decompiler and deobfuscator?
I am using JD-GUI to decompile Java JAR files, but the problem is that it leaves many errors, such as duplicate variables which I have to fix myself and check to see if the program still works (if I ...
58
votes
7
answers
16k
views
Visualizing ELF binaries
I recently saw an older talk by Sergey Bratus and Greg Conti by the name of Voyage of the Reverser: A Visual Study of Binary Species.
Are there any opensource/free tools that one could use to see ...
user1743
56
votes
8
answers
33k
views
how can I diff two x86 binaries at assembly code level?
I'm looking for a tool like Beyond Compare, meld, kdiff, etc. which can be used to compare two disassembled binaries. I know that there's binary (hex) comparison, which shows difference by hex values, ...
- 4,465
52
votes
7
answers
139k
views
How to know in which language/technology program (.exe) is written?
How to understand if exe/dll is written in C++/.Net/Java or in any other language. I tried to use Dependency walker but not able to get required information.
- 877
51
votes
5
answers
30k
views
Bypassing copy protection in microcontrollers using glitching
The ATmega microcontrollers generally have two lock bits, LB1 and LB2. One prevents further programming, and the other prevents the flash being read back. If both are set, the chip needs to be erased ...
- 1,672
49
votes
12
answers
5k
views
Where to find information about a file format?
Let's say I found 'some' file (might be an executable, might be data, or something else) and want to run or read it. I open this file in a text editor, but the format isn't readable. Examples include: ...
user187
47
votes
4
answers
43k
views
Is reverse engineering and using parts of a closed source application legal?
Is it legal to reverse engineer certain features of a closed source application and then integrate those features into a closed or open source application that may be either a commercial or non-...
- 2,275
45
votes
8
answers
32k
views
How do I add functionality to an existing binary executable?
I want to add some functionality to an existing binary file. The binary file was created using gcc.
Do I need to decompile the binary first, even though I sufficiently understand the functioning of ...
- 2,275
42
votes
4
answers
22k
views
convert this x86 ASM to C?
How could this 32-bit x86 assembly be written in C?
loc_536FB0:
mov cl, [eax]
cmp cl, ' '
jb short loc_536FBC
cmp cl, ','
jnz short loc_536FBF
loc_536FBC:
mov byte ptr [eax], ' '
loc_536FBF
mov cl, ...
- 533
42
votes
1
answer
92k
views
Decompiling iPhone App
I've been searching this site and more, but I haven't had much luck. I want to decompile an app to see how part of it works, and I've tried multiple programs. I've tried Hopper, IDA, and some other ...
- 429
41
votes
3
answers
26k
views
Unpacking binaries in a generic way
I find that more and more often binaries are being packed with exe protectors such as upx, aspack etc. I tried to follow a few tutorials on how to unpack them but the examples are often quite easy ...
- 2,908
40
votes
8
answers
78k
views
Is there any way to decompile a .NET assembly or program?
Are there any tools available to take an already compiled .dll or .exe file that you know was compiled from C# or Visual Basic and obtain the original source code from it?
- 877
39
votes
8
answers
7k
views
What are the targets of professional reverse software engineering?
At the professional level, for what purpose is reverse software engineering used? What software is targeted and why?
For reasonably complex compiled code that's doing something novel, making ...
- 535
37
votes
5
answers
103k
views
How do you reverse engineer an EXE "compiled" with PyInstaller
Having recently watched/read a presentation given by Dave Kennedy at DEF CON 20 [PDF], I'd like to know how to decompile a Python script compiled with PyInstaller.
In his presentation, he is creating ...
- 7,322
37
votes
9
answers
58k
views
How does one reverse engineer a SWF file?
What tools and techniques exist to either decompile or analyze the bytecode in a SWF file? What resources are available to the reverse engineer to learn more about SWF internals?
- 1,194
36
votes
5
answers
7k
views
What is the reason for this method to call itself?
While reversing a 32bit Mach-O binary with Hopper, I noticed this peculiar method. The instruction on 0x0000e506 seems to be calling an address right below the instruction.
What would be the reason ...
- 467
35
votes
3
answers
11k
views
How can I reverse optimized integer division/modulo by constant operations?
When compiling a division or modulo by a constant, my compiler (LLVM GCC) generates a series of instructions that I don't understand.
When I compile the following minimal examples:
int mod7(int x) {
...
- 1,729
35
votes
3
answers
31k
views
How do I figure out what is burned on an Arduino ROM?
I have an Arduino Uno Rev3. I would like to extract and find out what code is burned on the ROM of the micro-controller board.
How do I extract the code from the board?
How do I figure out the ...
- 2,275
35
votes
8
answers
43k
views
Reverse engineering T-Disk barcodes for Tassimo coffee makers
In hope this is appropriate
I have a Bosch Tassimo TAS2002EE coffee maker that uses T-Disks. Those contain coffee/milk/something else, and a barcode that is supposed to tell the machine how to deal ...
- 450
34
votes
5
answers
10k
views
How can I analyse an executable with no read permission?
I have a binary on a Linux (Kernel 2.6) which I can execute, but can't read (chmod 0711). Therefore no static analysis is possible.
user1: $ ls -l bin
-r-s--x--- user2 user1 bin
user1: $ file bin
...
- 2,849
33
votes
7
answers
11k
views
What hints in machine code can point me to the compiler which was used to generate it?
When I am looking at the machine code of an application, are there hints and patterns I can discern from the generated machine code which would indicate which compiler (and possibly version) was used ...
- 877
33
votes
5
answers
27k
views
Open source GUI tool for decomposing a PDF
I've been looking for an open-source GUI tool to extract PDF's in an automated way on Windows systems. I've used Didier Steven's tools with great interest for a while, but cannot make sense of how to ...
- 443
32
votes
3
answers
21k
views
What is a FLIRT signature?
I've seen this referenced in a couple of other questions on this site. But what's a FLIRT signature in IDA Pro? And when would I create my own for use?
- 3,836
31
votes
4
answers
14k
views
How to reverse engineer a Windows 10 UWP app?
I wanted to see what Microsoft are doing when you click "Restart now" button in their Settings -> Update window on Windows 10:
Somehow the results are not the same what is available via ...
- 1,275
31
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Why is disassembly not an exact science?
Newbie here.
From Wikipedia
Disassembly is not an exact science: on CISC platforms with
variable-width instructions, or in the presence of self-modifying
code, it is possible for a single ...
- 411
31
votes
4
answers
37k
views
What is the meaning of movabs in gas/x86 AT&T syntax?
I just found a strange instruction by assembling (with gas) and disassembling (with objdump) on a amd64 architecture.
The original amd64 assembly code is:
mov 0x89abcdef, %al
And, after gas ...
- 18k
31
votes
2
answers
762
views
What is the current state of the art for platform modeling?
When we're doing reverse engineering, we have a few levels of models. One of them is the instruction semantics model, which tells us what every native instruction does to modify instruction state. We'...
- 1,432
30
votes
5
answers
53k
views
How do I acquire SoftICE?
I have seen mentions of SoftICE on various questions throughout this site. However, the Wikipedia article on SoftICE implies that the tool is abandoned. Searching google, I see many links claiming to ...
- 1,236
30
votes
5
answers
10k
views
Why there are not any disassemblers that can generate re-assemblable asm code?
I am struggling on this problem for around three months:
How to use disassemblers (IDA Pro and others...) to generate re-assemblable asm code and assemble it back
My experience is that:
There is NO ...
- 2,345
30
votes
4
answers
32k
views
How do I identify and use JTAG?
I'm a software guy through and through. But periodically when I'm taking apart hardware I know to look for JTAG ports and RS232 ports. So far I've always been lucky and have been able to solder on ...
- 3,836
29
votes
5
answers
51k
views
What is the linux equivalent to OllyDbg and Ida Pro?
What is the Linux equivalent to OllyDbg and IDA Pro ? Or if there are multiple tools that do the various functions that OllyDbg and IDA Pro do, where can I find these tools? I'd like to start ...
- 423
29
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Why are machine code decompilers less capable than for example those for the CLR and JVM?
Java and .NET decompilers can (usually) produce an almost perfect source code, often very close to the original.
Why can't the same be done for the native code? I tried a few but they either don't ...
- 7,814
29
votes
1
answer
42k
views
What does mov qword ptr ds:[rax+18], r8 mean?
mov qword ptr ds:[rax+18], r8
In the above code, where are we copying the value of r8 register into?
I know that ds means data segment which is a segment in memory, but what does exactly [rax+18] ...
- 589
29
votes
6
answers
13k
views
Decompiling Android application
The Android java code is compiled into Dalvik byte code, which is quite readable. I wonder, is it possible in theory and in practice to write a decompilation software for Dalvik byte code?
- 4,465
29
votes
1
answer
8k
views
What kinds of steps can I take to make my C++ application harder to reverse engineer?
If I am building a C++ application and I want to make it more difficult to reverse engineer, what steps can I take to do this?
Does the choice of compiler affect this?
What about compiler flags, ...
- 877
28
votes
4
answers
39k
views
Cross debugging for ARM / MIPS ELF with QEMU/toolchain
as i'm new about cross-debugging and cross-compilation i need some help because i feel so confused. I have a MIPS elf file, [myelf][1] .You can see bellow the output of file myelf:
myelf: ELF 32-bit ...
- 455
28
votes
1
answer
92k
views
Reversing ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64 ,gdb
I'm a newbie and just got into RE.
I got a ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64. I'm trying to reverse it.
First I tried to set a break point on line 1 using
gdb ./filename
break 1
The gdb says
No ...
- 433