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2021-09-21 19:57:00 | Automation in Reverse Engineering C++ STL/Template Code (lien direct) | There are three major elements to reverse engineering C++ code that uses STL container classes: Determining in the first place that an STL container is being used, and which category, i.e., std::list vs. std::vector vs. std::set Determining the element type, i.e., T in the categories above Creating data types in your reverse engineering tool of choice, and applying those types to the decompilation or disassembly listing. Though all of those elements are important, this entry focuses on the last one: creating instantiated STL data types, and more specifically, types that can be used in Hex-Rays. The main contribution of this entry is simply its underlying idea, as I have never seen it published anywhere else; the code itself is simple enough, and can be adapted to any reverse engineering framework with a type system that supports user-defined structures. I have spent the pandemic working on a new training class on C++ reverse engineering; the images and concepts in this blog entry are taken from the class material. The class goes into much more depth than this entry, such as by material on structure and type reconstruction, and having individual sections on each of the common STL containers. (If you are interested in the forthcoming C++ training class, it will be completed early next year, and available for in-person delivery when the world is more hospitable. If you would like to be notified when public in-person classes for the C++ course is ready, please sign up on our no-spam, very low-volume, course notification mailing list. (Click the button that says "Provide your email to be notified of public course availability".) ) Overview and MotivationAt a language level, C++ templates are one of the most complex features of any mainstream programming language. Their introduction in the first place -- as opposed to a restricted, less-powerful version -- was arguably a bad mistake. They are vastly overcomplicated, and in earlier revisions, advanced usage was relegated to true C++ experts. Over time, their complexity has infested other elements of the language, such as forming the basis for the C++11 auto keyword. However, the basic, original ideas behind C++ templates were inconspicuous enough, and are easy to explain to neophytes. Moreover, reverse engineers do not need to understand the full complexity of C++ templates for day-to-day work. Let's begin with a high-level overview of which problems in C software development that C++ templates endeavored to solve, and roughly how they solved them. Put simply, many features of C++ were designed to alleviate situations where common practice in C was to copy and paste existing code and tweak it slightly. In particular, templates alleviate issues with re-using code for different underlying data types. C does offer one alternative to copy-and-paste in this regard -- the macro preprocessor -- though it is a poor, cumbersome, and limited solution. Let's walk through a small real-world example. Suppose we had code to shuffle the contents of a char array, and we wanted to re-use it to shuffle int arrays. | Tool Guideline |
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