/workflow_objc

Binary Ninja plugin & workflow to help analyze Objective-C code

Primary LanguageC++BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" LicenseBSD-3-Clause

Objective-C Workflow

This is the Objective-C plugin that ships with Binary Ninja. It provides additional support for analyzing Objective-C binaries.

Some of the main features offered by this plugin are:

  • Function Call Cleanup. When using the Objective-C workflow, calls to objc_msgSend can be replaced with direct calls to the relevant function's implementation.

  • Name and Type Recovery. Using runtime information embedded in the binary, Binary Ninja can automatically apply names and type information to Objective-C functions.

  • Structure Markup. Data variables are automatically created for Objective-C structures such as classes and method lists to enable easy navigation.

  • Data Renderers. Formatting of Objective-C types such as tagged and/or (image-)relative pointers is improved via custom data renderers.

  • CFString Handling. Data variables are automatically created for all CFString instances present in the binary.

For more details and usage instructions, see the user guide.

Building

This plugin can be built and installed separately from Binary Ninja via the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/Vector35/workflow_objc.git && cd workflow_objc
git submodule update --init --recursive
cmake -S . -B build -GNinja
cmake --build build -t install

Credits

This plugin is a continuation of Objective Ninja, originally made by @jonpalmisc. The full terms of the Objective Ninja license are as follows:

Copyright (c) 2022 Jon Palmisciano

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification,
are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
   list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors
   may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without
   specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON
ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.