Hacker Disassembling Uncovered

Going beyond the issues of analyzing and optimizing programs as well as creating the means of protecting information, this guide takes on the programming problem of how to go about disassembling a program with holes without its source code. Detailing hacking methods used to analyze programs using a debugger and disassembler such as virtual functions, local and global variables, branching, loops, objects and their hierarchy, and mathematical operators, this guide covers methods of fighting disassemblers, self-modifying code in operating systems, and executing code in the stack. Advanced disassembler topics such as optimizing compilers and movable code are discussed as well, and a CD-ROM that contains illustrations and the source codes for the programs is also included.

Going beyond the issues of analyzing and optimizing programs as well as creating the means of protecting information, this guide takes on the programming problem of, once having found holes in a program, how to go about disassembling it without its source code. Covered are the hacking methods used to analyze programs using a debugger and disassembler. These methods include virtual functions, local and global variables, branching, loops, objects and their hierarchy, and mathematical operators. Also covered are methods of fighting disassemblers, self-modifying code in operating systems, and executing code in the stack. Advanced disassembler topics such as optimizing compilers and movable code are discussed as well.

Tips for the practical use of debuggers, such as NuMega SoftIce, Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger, and Microsoft Kernel Debugger, with minimum binding to a specific environment are disclosed in this debugger guide. How debuggers operate and how to overcome obstacles and repair debuggers is demonstrated. Programmers will learn how to look at what is inside a computer system, how to reconstruct the operating algorithm of a program distributed without source code, how to modify the program, and how to debug drivers. The use of debugging applications and drivers in Windows and Unix operating systems on Intel Pentium/DEC Alpha-based processors is also detailed.

How hackers, viruses, and worms attack computers from the Internet and exploit security holes in software is explained in this outline of antivirus software, patches, and firewalls that try in vain to withstand the storm of attacks. Some software's effectiveness exists only in the imaginations of its developers because they prove unable to prevent the propagation of worms, but this guide examines where security holes come from, how to discover them, how to protect systems (both Windows and Unix), and how to do away with security holes altogether. Unpublished advanced exploits and techniques in both C and Assembly languages are

A manual on protecting CDs against illegal copying, this book shows how crackers copy CDs using various access methods. The methods covered include the CDFS driver, cooked mode, SPTI, ASPI, the SCSI port, and the MSCDEX driver. Explained is how to prevent cracker break-ins using protections based on nonstandard CD formats such as the CD driver and weak CD sectors. Information on CD functioning fundamentals and tips related to CD protection in a format free of math and assembling-such as data formats, the scrambler, the Reed-Solomon coder/encoder, the CIRC coder/encoder, and a weak-sectors generator-are also provided. The main program interfaces, which provide direct control via peripheral devices on the application level in UNIX, Novell, and Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP, are considered, as is how to read and write RAW sectors.

This text introduces the spirit and theory of hacking as well as the science behind it all; it also provides some core techniques and tricks of hacking so you can think like a hacker, write your own hacks or thwart potential system attacks.

Beginning with a basic primer on reverse engineering-including computer internals, operating systems, and assembly language-and then discussing the various applications of reverse engineering, this book provides readers with practical, in-depth techniques for software reverse engineering. The book is broken into two parts, the first deals with security-related reverse engineering and the second explores the more practical aspects of reverse engineering. In addition, the author explains how to reverse engineer a third-party software library to improve interfacing and how to reverse engineer a competitor's software to build a better product. * The first popular book to show how software reverse engineering can help defend against security threats, speed up development, and unlock the secrets of competitive products * Helps developers plug security holes by demonstrating how hackers exploit reverse engineering techniques to crack copy-protection schemes and identify software targets for viruses and other malware * Offers a primer on advanced reverse-engineering, delving into "disassembly"-code-level reverse engineering-and explaining how to decipher assembly language