Ghidra Software Reverse Engineering for Beginners
Analyze, identify, and avoid malicious code and potential threats in your networks and systems
Published on 8. January 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
322 pages
978-1-80020-797-4 (ISBN)
Description
Detect potentials bugs in your code or program and develop your own tools using the Ghidra reverse engineering framework developed by the NSA project
Key Features
Make the most of Ghidra on different platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS
Leverage a variety of plug-ins and extensions to perform disassembly, assembly, decompilation, and scripting
Discover how you can meet your cybersecurity needs by creating custom patches and tools
Book DescriptionGhidra, an open source software reverse engineering (SRE) framework created by the NSA research directorate, enables users to analyze compiled code on any platform, whether Linux, Windows, or macOS. This book is a starting point for developers interested in leveraging Ghidra to create patches and extend tool capabilities to meet their cybersecurity needs.
You'll begin by installing Ghidra and exploring its features, and gradually learn how to automate reverse engineering tasks using Ghidra plug-ins. You'll then see how to set up an environment to perform malware analysis using Ghidra and how to use it in the headless mode. As you progress, you'll use Ghidra scripting to automate the task of identifying vulnerabilities in executable binaries. The book also covers advanced topics such as developing Ghidra plug-ins, developing your own GUI, incorporating new process architectures if needed, and contributing to the Ghidra project.
By the end of this Ghidra book, you'll have developed the skills you need to harness the power of Ghidra for analyzing and avoiding potential vulnerabilities in code and networks.What you will learn
Get to grips with using Ghidra's features, plug-ins, and extensions
Understand how you can contribute to Ghidra
Focus on reverse engineering malware and perform binary auditing
Automate reverse engineering tasks with Ghidra plug-ins
Become well-versed with developing your own Ghidra extensions, scripts, and features
Automate the task of looking for vulnerabilities in executable binaries using Ghidra scripting
Find out how to use Ghidra in the headless mode
Who this book is forThis SRE book is for developers, software engineers, or any IT professional with some understanding of cybersecurity essentials. Prior knowledge of Java or Python, along with experience in programming or developing applications, is required before getting started with this book.
Key Features
Make the most of Ghidra on different platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS
Leverage a variety of plug-ins and extensions to perform disassembly, assembly, decompilation, and scripting
Discover how you can meet your cybersecurity needs by creating custom patches and tools
Book DescriptionGhidra, an open source software reverse engineering (SRE) framework created by the NSA research directorate, enables users to analyze compiled code on any platform, whether Linux, Windows, or macOS. This book is a starting point for developers interested in leveraging Ghidra to create patches and extend tool capabilities to meet their cybersecurity needs.
You'll begin by installing Ghidra and exploring its features, and gradually learn how to automate reverse engineering tasks using Ghidra plug-ins. You'll then see how to set up an environment to perform malware analysis using Ghidra and how to use it in the headless mode. As you progress, you'll use Ghidra scripting to automate the task of identifying vulnerabilities in executable binaries. The book also covers advanced topics such as developing Ghidra plug-ins, developing your own GUI, incorporating new process architectures if needed, and contributing to the Ghidra project.
By the end of this Ghidra book, you'll have developed the skills you need to harness the power of Ghidra for analyzing and avoiding potential vulnerabilities in code and networks.What you will learn
Get to grips with using Ghidra's features, plug-ins, and extensions
Understand how you can contribute to Ghidra
Focus on reverse engineering malware and perform binary auditing
Automate reverse engineering tasks with Ghidra plug-ins
Become well-versed with developing your own Ghidra extensions, scripts, and features
Automate the task of looking for vulnerabilities in executable binaries using Ghidra scripting
Find out how to use Ghidra in the headless mode
Who this book is forThis SRE book is for developers, software engineers, or any IT professional with some understanding of cybersecurity essentials. Prior knowledge of Java or Python, along with experience in programming or developing applications, is required before getting started with this book.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Birmingham
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 191 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
604 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80020-797-4 (9781800207974)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
David Álvarez Pérez
Ghidra Software Reverse Engineering for Beginners
Analyze, identify, and avoid malicious code and potential threats in your networks and systems
E-Book
03/2025
1st Edition
Packt Publishing Limited
from
€29.99
Available for download
Person
David Alvarez Perez is a senior malware analyst and reverse engineer. He has more than 12 years of experience in IT, having worked on his own antivirus product, and later as a malware analyst. He started working for a company that mostly reverse-engineered banking malware, and he helped to automate the process. After that, he joined the critical malware department of an antivirus company and then moved to a Galician research center, while doing his malware-related PhD at the University of Vigo. He has also hunted vulnerabilities in software products like Microsoft's Windows 10 and the National Security Agency's Ghidra project. David is currently working as a senior malware analyst at Gen Digital Inc.
Content
Table of Contents
Getting Started with Ghidra
Automating RE Tasks with Ghidra Scripts
Ghidra Debug Mode
Using Ghidra Extensions
Reversing Malware Using Ghidra
Scripting Malware Analysis
Using Ghidra Headless Analyzer
Auditing Program Binaries
Scripting Binary Audits
Developing Ghidra Plugins
Incorporating New Binary Formats
Analyzing Processor Modules
Contributing to the Ghidra Community
Extending Ghidra for Advanced Reverse Engineering
Getting Started with Ghidra
Automating RE Tasks with Ghidra Scripts
Ghidra Debug Mode
Using Ghidra Extensions
Reversing Malware Using Ghidra
Scripting Malware Analysis
Using Ghidra Headless Analyzer
Auditing Program Binaries
Scripting Binary Audits
Developing Ghidra Plugins
Incorporating New Binary Formats
Analyzing Processor Modules
Contributing to the Ghidra Community
Extending Ghidra for Advanced Reverse Engineering