reverse engineering is the art of extracting information from a certain device or software made by man, it consists of disassembling an object to see how it works in order to duplicate or improve it. here we will list the best reverse engineering books for that art.
You can reverse engineer anything that can be taken apart and then put back together. reverse engineering is now frequently used in computer hardware and software.
You are reading: Best books on reverse engineering
A famous example of reverse engineering involves San Jose-based Phoenix Technologies Ltd., which in the mid-1980s wanted to produce a PC BIOS that would be compatible with IBM PC’s proprietary BIOS. (A bios is a program stored in firmware that runs when a computer starts up; see the tech quick study, June 25.)
Exploiting Software: How to Break CodeExploiting Software highlights the most critical part of the software quality problem. Check Price
Reversing: Secrets of reverse engineeringHelps developers plug security holes by demonstrating how hackers exploit reverse engineering techniques Check Price
The Ghidra Book: The Definitive Guide A guide to using the Ghidra software reverse engineering tool suite. Check Price
The IDA Pro BookThe IDA Pro book: the unofficial guide to the world’s most popular disassembler Check Price
Practical Reverse EngineeringPractical Reverse Engineering: x86, x64, ARM, Windows Kernel, Reversing Tools, and Obfuscation Check Price
The Art of Memory ForensicsDetecting Malware and Threats in Windows, Linux, and Mac Memory Check Price
Practical malware analysisPractical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide to Dissecting Malicious Software Check Price
hacker disassembling uncoveredPowerful Techniques To Safeguard Your Programming Check Price
The rootkit arsenalEscape and Evasion in the Dark Corners of the System 2nd Edition Check Price
To protect against charges of having simply (and illegally) copied IBM’s BIOS, Phoenix reverse-engineered it using what’s called a “clean room,” or “Chinese wall,” approach. First, a team of engineers studied the IBM BIOS—about 8KB of code—and described everything it did as completely as possible without using or referencing any actual code. Then Phoenix brought in a second team of programmers who had no prior knowledge of the IBM BIOS and had never seen its code. Working only from the first team’s functional specifications, the second team wrote a new BIOS that operated as specified.if you are looking for Hacking Books Check this list of Best Hacking Books
what is reverse engineering?
In the age of the internet, there are many reasons for reverse engineering in various fields. reverse engineering originates from hardware analysis of commercial or military advantages. however, the reverse engineering process itself does not involve creating copies or changing artifacts in any way; it is only an analysis to infer design characteristics of the product, with little or no other knowledge of the procedures involved in its original production. in some cases, the target of the reverse engineering process may simply be a legacy document reconstruction system. Even if the reverse engineered products are competitor products, the goal may not be to copy them but to conduct competitive analysis.
Reverse engineering can also be used to create interoperable products. Despite some limited US legislation. uu. and the eu, the legality of using specific reverse engineering techniques for this purpose has been debated in courts around the world for more than 20 years. software reverse engineering can help improve understanding of the underlying source code to maintain and improve software, can extract information relevant to making software development decisions, and graphical representation of the code can provide an alternate view of the source code, which can help detect and repair bugs or software vulnerabilities.
Usually with the development of certain software, its design information and enhancements are often lost over time, but such lost information can usually be recovered by reverse engineering. this process also helps reduce the time it takes to understand the source code, which lowers the total cost of software development.
Reverse engineering can also help detect and remove malicious code written in software using better code detectors. Source code inversion can be used to find alternative uses of source code, such as detecting unauthorized copies of unused source code or revealing how competitor products are built. this process is often used to “crack” software and media to remove their copy protection, or to create (possibly enhanced) copies or even counterfeit products, which are often targeted or hacked by competitors. Malware developers often use reverse engineering techniques to find vulnerabilities in the operating system (OS) in order to create computer viruses that can exploit system vulnerabilities. reverse engineering is also used in password analysis to replace passwords, symmetric key algorithms, or public vulnerabilities found in key encryption.
best reverse engineering books
There are many reverse engineering books, but the question is where to start and what are the best reverse engineering books to read and learn. here is a list of our best books
If you want to protect your software from attacks, you must first learn how real attacks are carried out. learn about:
- why software exploit will remain a serious problem;
- when network security mechanisms are broken;
- attack patterns;
- reverse engineering;
- classical attacks against server software;
- surprising attacks against client software;
- techniques for creating malicious entries;
- the technique details buffer overflows; and rootkits.
This information must be understood and digested by security professionals so that they know the magnitude of the problem and can begin to adequately address it. Today, every developer needs to keep security in mind. the knowledge here will arm you with a real understanding of the software security issue.
The Book of Reverse Engineering Secrets is divided into two parts, the first dealing with security-related reverse engineering and the second exploring the more practical aspects of reverse engineering.
See Also: 10 Longest Books in the Bible – Largest.org
the first popular book showing 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 leverage reverse engineering techniques to crack copy protection schemes and identify software targets for viruses and other malwareprovides an introduction to advanced reverse engineering, going deeper on reverse engineering at the “teardown” code level – and explaining how to crack assembly language.
ghidra’s book In addition to discussing useful techniques for analyzing software and malware of all kinds, the book thoroughly introduces ghidra’s components, features, and unique ability for group collaboration. you will learn to:
- navigate a disassembly
- use ghidra’s built-in decompiler to speed up parsing
- parse obfuscated binaries
- extend ghidra to recognize new types of data
- create new ghidra parsers and loaders
- add support for new processors and instruction sets
- create ghidra tasks to automate workflows
- set up and use a collaborative reverse engineering environment
Hailed by the creator of ida pro as “deep, comprehensive, and accurate,” the second edition of the ida pro book covers everything from getting started to advanced automation techniques. You’ll find full coverage of ida’s new qt-based UI, as well as more coverage of the ida debugger, the bochs debugger, and ida scripting (especially with idapython). But because humans are still smarter than computers, you’ll even learn to use the latest interactive and programmable interfaces to your advantage.
Save time and effort while learning how to:
- browse, comment, and modify disassembly
- identify known library routines, so you can focus your analysis on other areas of the code
- use code graphs to create quickly make sense of cross-references and function calls
- extend ida to support new processors and file types using the sdk
- explore popular plugins that make it easy to write ida scripts, allow collaborative reverse engineering and much more
- use ida’s built-in debugger to tackle obfuscated and hostile code
Whether you’re scanning for malware, investigating vulnerabilities, or reverse engineering software, mastery is crucial to your success. take your skills to the next level with this second edition of the ida pro book.
now the good guys can use the same tools to thwart these threats. practical reverse engineering goes under the hood of reverse engineering for security analysts, security engineers, and system programmers, so they can learn how to use these same processes to stop hackers dead in their tracks.
the book covers x86, x64 and arm (the first book to cover all three); windows kernel mode code drivers and rootkits; virtual machine protection techniques; and much more. Best of all, it offers a systematic approach to the material, with lots of hands-on exercises and real-world examples.
- offers a systematic approach to understanding reverse engineering, with hands-on exercises and real-world examples
- covers x86, x64, and advanced risk machine (arm) architectures, as well as deobfuscation and Virtual Machine Protection Techniques
- provides special coverage of windows kernel-mode code (rootkits/drivers), a topic not often covered elsewhere, and explains how to analyze drivers step by step
- demystifies topics that have a steep learning curve
- includes a bonus chapter on reverse engineering tools
Practical Reverse Engineering: Using x86, x64, Arm, Windows Kernel, and Reverse Tools provides crucial, up-to-date guidance for a wide range of IT professionals.
Starting with introductory concepts and moving to advanced ones, The Art of Memory Forensics: Detecting Windows, Linux, and Mac Memory Threats and Malware is based on a five-day training course that the authors have presented to hundreds of students. is the only book on the market that focuses exclusively on memory forensics and how to implement those techniques correctly. discover forensic memory techniques:
- how volatile memory analysis improves digital investigations
- proper investigative steps to detect stealthy malware and advanced threats
- how to use free open source tools to perform a comprehensive memory forensics
- ways to acquire memory from suspect systems in a forensically sound way
The coming era of malware and security breaches is more sophisticated and targeted, and a computer’s volatile memory is often overlooked or destroyed as part of the incident response process. The Art of Memory Forensics explains the latest technological innovations in digital forensics to help bridge this gap. covers the most popular and recently released versions of windows, linux, and mac, including 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
With this book as your guide, you will be able to safely analyze, debug, and disassemble any malicious software that comes your way.
See Also: Charlene Ann Baumbich – Book Series In Order
With this reverse engineering book you will learn to:
- set up a secure virtual environment to scan for malware
- quickly extract network signatures and host-based indicators
- use key analysis tools like ida pro, ollydbg and windbg
- overcome malware tricks like obfuscation, anti-removal, anti-debugging, and anti-virtual machine techniques
- use your newfound knowledge of the inner workings of windows for malware analysis
- develop a methodology for unpacking malware and gain hands-on experience with five of the most popular packers
- analyze special cases of malware with shellcode, c++, and 64-bit code
Initially, it is worth mentioning that specialized books on malware analysis, investment, debugging, etc. They are very rare. and even more, books that explain in sufficient detail and from the basics all the stages of the study. Of course, in addition to practical malware analysis, there are other equally valuable publications on this topic. however, it is a practical analysis of malware that combines a kind of training manual, describing in detail the working tools and investment techniques used, as well as a list of laboratory work for the material described above at the end of the chapter . With each new chapter, the reader will learn more material and perform more and more complex tasks.
There are many reviews from sysadmins, kernel operators, and other technical workers who say this book is a must for anyone looking to gain experience with reverse engineering
disassembly hacker exposed shows how to analyze programs without their source code, using a debugger and a disassembler. covers hacking methods including virtual functions, local and global variables, branches, loops, objects and their hierarchy, and mathematical operators. for intermediate to advanced programmers.
kris kaspersky is the author of articles on hacking, disassembly, and code optimization. he has dealt with issues related to security and system programming, including compiler development, optimization techniques, security mechanism research, real-time operating system kernel creation, and anti-virus program writing .
Taking a full disclosure approach, the updated second edition of the rootkit arsenal presents the most accessible, timely, and comprehensive coverage of forensic countermeasures. This book covers more topics, in greater depth, than any other book currently available. In doing so, the author cuts his way through the murky alleys of the internet, shedding light on material that has traditionally been poorly documented, partially documented, or intentionally undocumented.
The range of topics presented includes how to: -bypass post-mortem analysis -thwart attempts to reverse engineer your & control modules -defeat live incident response -undermine the memory scanning process -modify the internals of the subsystem to send misinformation out -secure your code in fortified execution regions -design and implement covert channels -discover new pathways of attack
reverse engineering books will teach you step by step, but they won’t make you smart! what i mean is that you should find your own ways and never rely only on reverse engineering books. two men can read the same book but they will not get the same result.
reverse is like art
Today, malware analysis is an entire industry in the field of information security. it is dedicated to antivirus laboratories that launch their products for protection, and groups of highly specialized experts who strive to be in the trend of attack vectors, and even the virus writers themselves, who compete with each other for a potential client. . For a virus analyst sitting in the dungeons of a major developer, this is painstaking day-to-day work that sometimes requires a non-standard and proactive approach. however, despite malware functionality being constantly improved and obfuscation techniques modified, the general methods of analysis have remained unchanged for a long time.
One of the important parts of malware analysis is the reverse engineering or “reverse engineering” of the software. In short, inverting is an attempt to study and recreate the algorithms of the program without having the source codes at hand, using special debugging techniques. Compared to malware analysis, there are a lot of very subtle nuances here. first of all, the investment of software in the vast majority of cases is prohibited by a license agreement, so any attempt to learn something for “educational purposes” is done only at your own peril and risk. malware analysis does not contain such restrictions, moreover, this is a “noble cause”: for example, having studied how the ransomware encrypts the victim’s files, you can try to create a decryptor for it, which, by the way, it is done very often by antivirus software developers. secondly, the investment, as a rule, goes towards commercial software, which makes a trial or unregistered version of the software work quite well (warez). in other words, it is the distribution of pirated copies of software. These actions violate many articles of copyright and intellectual law, patent law, international agreements, and the like.
Despite the disapproval of most government, business, and law enforcement officials, in the hacker sense, the rollback has positive aspects. For example, through the study of software, many security experts have discovered various undocumented features in the software, which have become a huge scandal for vendors and manufacturers. this also includes 0-day vulnerabilities found, which were not announced to the public prior to the release of official patches. Open source fans are probably familiar with the term cleanroom design, in other words, a way to copy a design without violating the copyright and trade secrets of the developer. this, for example, is done with nvidia’s proprietary graphics drivers for linux systems, trying to recreate the original architecture to release an open source driver.
best malware analysis booksbest hacking booksbest kali linux books
See Also: Discover Colm Tóibín’s 3 best books September 2022