Binary Analysis Cookbook: Actionable recipes for disassembling and analyzing binaries for security risks

Book Description
Binary analysis is the process of examining a binary program to determine information security actions. It is a complex, constantly evolving, and challenging topic that crosses over into several domains of information technology and security.

This binary analysis book is designed to help you get started with the basics, before gradually advancing to challenging topics. Using a recipe-based approach, this book guides you through building a lab of virtual machines and installing tools to analyze binaries effectively. You’ll begin by learning about the IA32 and ELF32 as well as IA64 and ELF64 specifications. The book will then guide you in developing a methodology and exploring a variety of tools for Linux binary analysis. As you advance, you’ll learn how to analyze malicious 32-bit and 64-bit binaries and identify vulnerabilities. You’ll even examine obfuscation and anti-analysis techniques, analyze polymorphed malicious binaries, and get a high-level overview of dynamic taint analysis and binary instrumentation concepts.

By the end of the book, you’ll have gained comprehensive insights into binary analysis concepts and have developed the foundational skills to confidently delve into the realm of binary analysis.

What you will learn
Traverse the IA32, IA64, and ELF specifications
Explore Linux tools to disassemble ELF binaries
Identify vulnerabilities in 32-bit and 64-bit binaries
Discover actionable solutions to overcome the limitations in analyzing ELF binaries
Interpret the output of Linux tools to identify security risks in binaries
Understand how dynamic taint analysis works
Who this book is for
This book is for anyone looking to learn how to dissect ELF binaries using open-source tools available in Linux. If you’re a Linux system administrator or information security professional, you’ll find this guide useful. Basic knowledge of Linux, familiarity with virtualization technologies and the working of network sockets, and experience in basic Python or Bash scripting will assist you with understanding the concepts in this book

Table of Contents
Setting Up The Lab
32-bit Assembly on Linux And The ELF Specification
64-bit Assembly on Linux and the ELF Specification
Creating A Binary Analysis Methodology
Linux Tools for Binary Analysis
Analyzing A Simple Bind Shell
Analyzing A Simple Reverse Shell
Identifying Vulnerabilities
Understanding Anti-Analysis Techniques
A Simple Reverse Shell With Polymorphism
Appendix: Dynamic Taint Analysis – the 30,000 Foot View