Table of Contents for
The IDA Pro Book, 2nd Edition

Version ebook / Retour

Cover image for bash Cookbook, 2nd Edition The IDA Pro Book, 2nd Edition by Chris Eagle Published by No Starch Press, 2011
  1. Cover
  2. The IDA Pro Book
  3. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION OF THE IDA PRO BOOK
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
  6. I. Introduction to IDA
  7. 1. Introduction to Disassembly
  8. The What of Disassembly
  9. The Why of Disassembly
  10. The How of Disassembly
  11. Summary
  12. 2. Reversing and Disassembly Tools
  13. Summary Tools
  14. Deep Inspection Tools
  15. Summary
  16. 3. IDA Pro Background
  17. Obtaining IDA Pro
  18. IDA Support Resources
  19. Your IDA Installation
  20. Thoughts on IDA’s User Interface
  21. Summary
  22. II. Basic IDA Usage
  23. 4. Getting Started with IDA
  24. IDA Database Files
  25. Introduction to the IDA Desktop
  26. Desktop Behavior During Initial Analysis
  27. IDA Desktop Tips and Tricks
  28. Reporting Bugs
  29. Summary
  30. 5. IDA Data Displays
  31. Secondary IDA Displays
  32. Tertiary IDA Displays
  33. Summary
  34. 6. Disassembly Navigation
  35. Stack Frames
  36. Searching the Database
  37. Summary
  38. 7. Disassembly Manipulation
  39. Commenting in IDA
  40. Basic Code Transformations
  41. Basic Data Transformations
  42. Summary
  43. 8. Datatypes and Data Structures
  44. Creating IDA Structures
  45. Using Structure Templates
  46. Importing New Structures
  47. Using Standard Structures
  48. IDA TIL Files
  49. C++ Reversing Primer
  50. Summary
  51. 9. Cross-References and Graphing
  52. IDA Graphing
  53. Summary
  54. 10. The Many Faces of IDA
  55. Using IDA’s Batch Mode
  56. Summary
  57. III. Advanced IDA Usage
  58. 11. Customizing IDA
  59. Additional IDA Configuration Options
  60. Summary
  61. 12. Library Recognition Using FLIRT Signatures
  62. Applying FLIRT Signatures
  63. Creating FLIRT Signature Files
  64. Summary
  65. 13. Extending IDA’s Knowledge
  66. Augmenting Predefined Comments with loadint
  67. Summary
  68. 14. Patching Binaries and Other IDA Limitations
  69. IDA Output Files and Patch Generation
  70. Summary
  71. IV. Extending IDA’s Capabilities
  72. 15. IDA Scripting
  73. The IDC Language
  74. Associating IDC Scripts with Hotkeys
  75. Useful IDC Functions
  76. IDC Scripting Examples
  77. IDAPython
  78. IDAPython Scripting Examples
  79. Summary
  80. 16. The IDA Software Development Kit
  81. The IDA Application Programming Interface
  82. Summary
  83. 17. The IDA Plug-in Architecture
  84. Building Your Plug-ins
  85. Installing Plug-ins
  86. Configuring Plug-ins
  87. Extending IDC
  88. Plug-in User Interface Options
  89. Scripted Plug-ins
  90. Summary
  91. 18. Binary Files and IDA Loader Modules
  92. Manually Loading a Windows PE File
  93. IDA Loader Modules
  94. Writing an IDA Loader Using the SDK
  95. Alternative Loader Strategies
  96. Writing a Scripted Loader
  97. Summary
  98. 19. IDA Processor Modules
  99. The Python Interpreter
  100. Writing a Processor Module Using the SDK
  101. Building Processor Modules
  102. Customizing Existing Processors
  103. Processor Module Architecture
  104. Scripting a Processor Module
  105. Summary
  106. V. Real-World Applications
  107. 20. Compiler Personalities
  108. RTTI Implementations
  109. Locating main
  110. Debug vs. Release Binaries
  111. Alternative Calling Conventions
  112. Summary
  113. 21. Obfuscated Code Analysis
  114. Anti–Dynamic Analysis Techniques
  115. Static De-obfuscation of Binaries Using IDA
  116. Virtual Machine-Based Obfuscation
  117. Summary
  118. 22. Vulnerability Analysis
  119. After-the-Fact Vulnerability Discovery with IDA
  120. IDA and the Exploit-Development Process
  121. Analyzing Shellcode
  122. Summary
  123. 23. Real-World IDA Plug-ins
  124. IDAPython
  125. collabREate
  126. ida-x86emu
  127. Class Informer
  128. MyNav
  129. IdaPdf
  130. Summary
  131. VI. The IDA Debugger
  132. 24. The IDA Debugger
  133. Basic Debugger Displays
  134. Process Control
  135. Automating Debugger Tasks
  136. Summary
  137. 25. Disassembler/Debugger Integration
  138. IDA Databases and the IDA Debugger
  139. Debugging Obfuscated Code
  140. IdaStealth
  141. Dealing with Exceptions
  142. Summary
  143. 26. Additional Debugger Features
  144. Debugging with Bochs
  145. Appcall
  146. Summary
  147. A. Using IDA Freeware 5.0
  148. Using IDA Freeware
  149. B. IDC/SDK Cross-Reference
  150. Index
  151. About the Author

Chapter 3. IDA Pro Background

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The Interactive Disassembler Professional, better and heretofore known as IDA Pro or simply IDA is a product of Hex-Rays,[18] located in Liège, Belgium. The programming genius behind IDA is Ilfak Guilfanov, better known as simply Ilfak. IDA began its life over a decade ago as an MS-DOS, console-based application, which is significant in that it helps us understand something about the nature of IDA’s user interface. Among other things, non-GUI versions of IDA ship for all IDA-supported platforms[19] and continue to use the console-style interface derived from the original DOS versions.

At its heart, IDA is a recursive descent disassembler; however, a substantial amount of effort has gone into developing logic to augment the recursive-descent process. In order to overcome one of the larger shortcomings of recursive descent, IDA employs a large number of heuristic techniques to identify additional code that may not have been found during the recursive-descent process. Beyond the disassembly process itself, IDA goes to great lengths not only to distinguish data disassemblies from code disassemblies but also to determine exactly what type of data is being represented by those data disassemblies. While the code that you view in IDA is in assembly language, one of the fundamental goals of IDA is to paint a picture as close to source code as possible. IDA makes every effort to annotate generated disassemblies with not only datatype information but also derived variable and function names. These annotations minimize the amount of raw hex and maximize the amount of symbolic information presented to the user.

Hex-Rays’ Stance on Piracy

As an IDA user you should be aware of several facts. IDA is Hex-Rays’ flagship product; accordingly, it is very sensitive about unauthorized distribution of IDA. In the past, the company has seen a direct cause and effect relationship between releases of pirated versions of IDA and declining sales. The former publisher of IDA, DataRescue, has even gone so far as to post the names of pirates to its Hall of Shame.[20] IDA thus utilizes several antipiracy techniques in an effort to curb piracy and enforce licensing restrictions.

The first technique to be aware of: Each copy of IDA is watermarked in order to uniquely tie it to its purchaser. If a copy of IDA turns up on a warez site, Hex-Rays has the ability to track that copy back to the original buyer, who will then be blacklisted from future sales. It is not uncommon to find discussions related to “leaked” copies of IDA on the IDA support forums at Hex-Rays.

Another technique IDA uses to enforce its licensing policies involves scanning for additional copies of IDA running on the local network. When the Windows version of IDA is launched, a UDP packet is broadcast on port 23945, and IDA waits for responses to see whether other instances of IDA running under the same license key are present on the same subnet. The number of responses is compared to the number of seats to which the license applies, and if too many copies are found on the network, IDA will refuse to start. Do note, however, that it is permissible to run multiple instances of IDA on a single computer with a single license.

The final method of license enforcement centers on the use of key files tied to each purchaser. At startup, IDA searches for a valid ida.key file. Failure to locate a valid key file will cause IDA to shut down immediately. Key files are also used in determining eligibility for upgraded copies of IDA. In essence, ida.key represents your purchase receipt, and you should safeguard it to ensure that you remain eligible for future upgrades.


[18] For many years, IDA was marketed by DataRescue; however, in January 2008, Ilfak moved marketing and sales of IDA to his own company, Hex-Rays.

[19] Currently supported platforms are Windows, Linux, and OS X.

[20] The Hall of Shame has been migrated to the Hex-Rays website: http://www.hex-rays.com/idapro/hallofshame.html.