Reverse Engineering – Binary Program Analysis

Reverse Engineering – Binary Program Analysis

Tim Blazytko
Virtual Training | July 20 - 26 | 32 hours

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Reverse Engineering - Binary Program Analysis

Tim Blazytko

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ABSTRACT

Reverse engineering is the art of extracting valuable information from unknown binary programs. No matter whether we aim to find vulnerabilities in closed-source software, dissect the internals of nation-state malware, or simply bypass copy protection technologies: Reverse engineering helps us to pinpoint relevant code/data locations, enables us to reconstruct high-level constructs from machine code, and thus provides us with insights into valuable program internals.

In this training, we learn the fundamentals of reverse engineering from scratch, ranging from reconstructing high-level code over recovering complex data structures and C++ class hierarchies to analyzing complex malware samples. In between, we become proficient in using state-of-the-art tools such as IDA, Ghidra, and GDB. This way, the training accompanies students in their first reverse engineering steps and paves their way for a long journey.

First, we discuss the layers between machine code and high-level languages, introduce binary file formats and get to know important tools such as hex editors, disassemblers, decompilers, and debuggers. Afterward, we familiarize ourselves with the X86-64 instruction set architecture, the most common architecture on desktop computers and servers. Thereby, we learn how to manually write assembly code, inspect registers and flags in a debugger, and reconstruct arithmetic calculations and loops in a disassembler.

In the second part, we cover the reconstruction of high-level code constructs from machine code. For this, we compile C code to machine code and compare them side-by-side. Using different compilers and optimization levels, we are able to study the manifold representations of high-level constructs. Afterward, we focus on manually recovering high-level functions from compiler-generated code. Finally, we dive into the area of software cracking and deepen our skills by reverse engineering and patching serial validation schemes.

Before we reconstruct complex data structures and C++ classes with Ghidra, we first learn how to identify them manually. Following, we have a look at how to recover class inheritance relationships, analyze constructors & virtual functions, and how to dissolve virtual function calls.

Finally, we put our obtained knowledge into practice by analyzing nation-state malware samples. After discussing challenges and strategies when dealing with complex binaries, we identify malware functionality based on API functions and reconstruct class hierarchies of malware modules. In order to reveal hidden strings in the binary, we script Ghidra to automatically decrypt them.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

TESTIMONIALS

Tim Blazytko's reverse engineering course was enlightening and engaging. The perfect blend of theory and hands-on practice, guided by a true expert. Highly recommended for diving deep into reverse engineering!

Such an awesome experience! Not only did I learn a ton, but I really enjoyed my time too. I also thought the course material was perfectly structured and the instructor did a great job at explaining complex topics in a clear and concise way. I'd recommend this training to anyone looking to get some familiarity with the basics of RE, vuln research or malware analysis.

It was great learning from Tim Blazytko Reverse Engineering and malware analysis on x64 using BinaryNinja, Ghidra and IDA Pro. A whole week of fun at Ringzer0.

PEDAGOGY

The training focuses on hands-on sessions. While some lecture parts provide an understanding of how high-level code can be represented in machine code, various hands-on sessions teach how to interact with reverse engineering tools and reconstruct high-level code from binary programs. The trainer actively supports the students to successfully solve the given exercises. After a task is completed, we discuss different solutions in class. Furthermore, students receive detailed reference solutions that can be used during and after the course.

While this class mostly focuses on the X86-64 architecture, we can optionally take a look at the ARM32 architecture and discuss their differences and similarities. Since the course teaches reverse engineering in a general way, students will notice that all techniques and tools can also be applied to other architectures.

KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Learn reverse engineering from scratch and understand all layers between machine code and high-level languages
• Become proficient in using state-of-the-art tools like IDA, Ghidra and GDB
• Learn how to reconstruct (nested) conditionals and loops, functions, complex data structures and C++ classes from machine code
• Get to know strategies to analyze complex binaries and apply them to nation-state malware samples
• Deepen your reverse engineering skills in various hands-on sessions

COURSE DETAILS

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Virtual Training Schedule

4h Session Timings

3h Session Timings

2h Session Timings (Concluding Session)

Labs and Discord Channel

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