Book Image

Ghidra Software Reverse Engineering for Beginners

By : A. P. David
Book Image

Ghidra Software Reverse Engineering for Beginners

By: A. P. David

Overview of this book

Ghidra, 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.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1: Introduction to Ghidra
6
Section 2: Reverse Engineering
12
Section 3: Extending Ghidra

Chapter 4: Using Ghidra Extensions

In this chapter, we will introduce Ghidra extensions or modules. By using Ghidra extensions, you will be able to incorporate new functionalities into Ghidra according to your needs.

Extensions are optional components that can extend Ghidra's functionality with experimental or user-contributed Ghidra plugins or analyzers. By using extensions, you can, for instance, integrate other tools into Ghidra, such as Eclipse or IDA Pro.

We will continue using the Eclipse IDE for development but we will also need to install Gradle in order to compile Ghidra extensions. Both the Ghidra program and its extensions are prepared to be built using Gradle.

By developing extensions or modules (formerly known as contribs), you will be able to make higher contributions to the Ghidra project (such as adding integration with other reverse engineering tools, supporting new file formats and processors, and so on) than developing mere plugins.

Finally, you...