Static analysis

Static Analysis (Phases 2-3)

Purpose

Understand binary structure and logic without execution. Map functions, trace data flow, decompile critical code.

When to Use

• After triage has established architecture and ABI
• To understand specific functions identified as interesting
• When dynamic analysis is impractical or risky
• To build hypotheses before dynamic verification

Pre-Analysis: Compare Known I/O First

CRITICAL: Before diving into disassembly, check if known inputs/outputs exist.

⚠️ REQUIRES HUMAN APPROVAL - Get explicit approval before any execution, even for I/O comparison.

# SAFE: Use emulation for cross-arch binaries (after human approval)
# ARM32:
qemu-arm -L /usr/arm-linux-gnueabihf -- ./binary < input.txt > actual.txt

# ARM64:
qemu-aarch64 -L /usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -- ./binary < input.txt > actual.txt

# Docker-based (macOS/cross-arch - see dynamic-analysis Option D):
docker run --rm --platform linux/arm/v7 -v ~/samples:/work:ro \
  arm32v7/debian:bullseye-slim sh -c '/work/binary < /work/input.txt' > actual.txt

# x86-64 native (still requires approval):
./binary < input.txt > actual.txt

# Compare outputs:
diff expected.txt actual.txt
cmp -l expected.txt actual.txt | head -20  # Byte-level differences

# Record findings:
# - Where does output first diverge?
# - Does file size match? (logic bug vs truncation)
# - What pattern appears in corruption?

This step often reveals the bug category before any code analysis.

---

Two-Stage Approach

Stage 1 (Light): Function enumeration, strings, imports - fast, broad coverage Stage 2 (Deep): Targeted decompilation, CFG analysis - slow, focused

Stage 1: Light Analysis (radare2)

Analysis Depth Selection

Binary Size	Command	Tradeoff
< 500KB	aaa	Full analysis, may be slow
500KB - 5MB	aa; aac	Functions + all call targets
> 5MB	aa + targeted af @addr	Fast, manual depth control

Session Setup

# Launch r2 with controlled analysis
r2 -q0 -e scr.color=false -e anal.timeout=120 -e anal.maxsize=67108864 binary

# Inside r2 (choose based on binary size):
aa       # Basic analysis
aac      # Also analyze all call targets (recommended for most binaries)

Critical settings:

• anal.timeout=120 - Prevent runaway analysis
• anal.maxsize=67108864 - 64MB max function size
• Use aa; aac for medium binaries, aaa only for small ones

Handling Unanalyzed Call Targets

If axtj returns empty for known imports:

# The import may be called indirectly or analysis was too shallow
# Option 1: Deeper analysis
aac   # Analyze all calls

# Option 2: Manually create function at call target
af @0x8048abc

# Option 3: Search for references to import address
axtj @sym.imp.connect

Function Enumeration

# All functions as JSON
aflj

# Filter by name pattern
aflj~main
aflj~init
aflj~network
aflj~send
aflj~recv

# Function count
afl~?

Cross-Reference Analysis

# Who calls this function?
axtj @sym.imp.connect

# What does this function call?
axfj @sym.main

# Data references to address
axtj @0x12345

String-Function Correlation

# Find which function contains a string
izj~api.vendor.com
# Note the vaddr, then find containing function
afi @0xVADDR

# Or search and map
"/j api"    # Search for string
axtj @@hit* # Xrefs to all hits

Import/Export Mapping

# Imports with addresses
iij

# Exports with addresses
iEj

# Symbols (if not stripped)
isj

Quick Disassembly

# Disassemble function as JSON
pdfj @sym.main

# Disassemble N instructions from address
pdj 20 @0x8400

# Print function summary
afi @sym.main

Stage 2: Deep Analysis

r2ghidra Availability Check

Before attempting decompilation, verify r2ghidra is installed:

# Check if r2ghidra is available
r2 -qc 'pdg?' - 2>/dev/null | grep -q Usage && echo "r2ghidra OK" || echo "SKIP: r2ghidra not installed"

# If missing, install with:
r2pm -ci r2ghidra

If r2ghidra unavailable: Rely on disassembly (pdf) and cross-reference analysis (axt/axf).

Targeted Decompilation (r2ghidra)

# Decompile specific function
pdgj @sym.target_function

# Or named function
pdgj @sym.main

Ghidra Headless (Large Binaries)

For complex functions or when r2ghidra struggles:

# Create analysis project and run script
analyzeHeadless /tmp/ghidra_proj proj \
  -import binary \
  -overwrite \
  -processor ARM:LE:32:v7 \
  -postScript ExportDecompilation.java sym.target_function \
  -deleteProject

Processor strings:

• ARM 32-bit: ARM:LE:32:v7 or ARM:LE:32:Cortex
• ARM 64-bit: AARCH64:LE:64:v8A
• x86_64: x86:LE:64:default
• MIPS LE: MIPS:LE:32:default
• MIPS BE: MIPS:BE:32:default

Control Flow Analysis

# Basic blocks in function
afbj @sym.main

# Function call graph (dot format)
agCd @sym.main > callgraph.dot

# Control flow graph
agfd @sym.main > cfg.dot

Data Structure Recovery

# Analyze local variables
afvj @sym.main

# Stack frame layout
afvd @sym.main

# Global data references
adrj

Analysis Patterns

Pattern: Network Function Tracing

# Find all network-related calls
axtj @sym.imp.socket
axtj @sym.imp.connect
axtj @sym.imp.send
axtj @sym.imp.recv
axtj @sym.imp.SSL_read
axtj @sym.imp.SSL_write

# Trace caller chain
for func in $(aflj | jq -r '.[].name'); do
  axfj @$func | grep -q "socket\|connect" && echo $func
done

Pattern: Configuration File Analysis

# Find file operations
axtj @sym.imp.open
axtj @sym.imp.fopen

# Trace string arguments
"/j /etc"
"/j .conf"
"/j .json"

# Check what functions reference these paths

Pattern: Crypto Identification

# Common crypto imports
axtj @sym.imp.EVP_EncryptInit
axtj @sym.imp.AES_encrypt
axtj @sym.imp.SHA256

# Hardcoded keys (check strings near crypto calls)
izj | jq '.strings[] | select(.length == 16 or .length == 32)'

r2 JSON Commands Reference

Command	Output	Use Case
aflj	Functions list	Map code structure
axtj @addr	Xrefs TO address	Who uses this?
axfj @addr	Xrefs FROM address	What does it call?
pdfj @addr	Disassembly	Understand instructions
pdgj @addr	Decompilation	Pseudo-C output
afbj @addr	Basic blocks	Control flow
izj	Data strings	Configuration, URLs
iij	Imports	External dependencies
iEj	Exports	Public interface
afvj @addr	Local variables	Stack analysis

Output Format

Record analysis findings as structured facts:

{
  "functions_analyzed": [
    {
      "name": "sub_8400",
      "address": "0x8400",
      "size": 256,
      "calls": ["socket", "connect", "send"],
      "called_by": ["main", "init_network"],
      "strings_referenced": ["api.vendor.com"],
      "hypothesis": "network_initialization"
    }
  ],
  "call_graph": {
    "main": ["init_config", "init_network", "main_loop"],
    "init_network": ["sub_8400", "SSL_CTX_new"]
  },
  "data_flow": [
    {
      "source": "config_file_read",
      "through": ["parse_config", "extract_url"],
      "sink": "connect_to_server"
    }
  ]
}

Knowledge Journaling

After static analysis, record findings for episodic memory:

[BINARY-RE:static] {filename} (sha256: {hash})

Functions analyzed: {count}
Decompilation performed: {yes|no}

Key functions:
  FACT: Function at {addr} calls {imports} (source: r2 axfj)
  FACT: Function at {addr} references string "{string}" (source: r2 axtj)
  FACT: Function {name} appears to {purpose} (source: decompilation)

Cross-references:
  FACT: {caller} calls {callee} (source: r2 axtj)

HYPOTHESIS UPDATE: {refined theory} (confidence: {new_value})
  Supporting: {fact_ids}
  Contradicting: {fact_ids}

New questions:
  QUESTION: {discovered unknown}

Answered questions:
  RESOLVED: {question} → {answer}

Example Journal Entry

[BINARY-RE:static] thermostat_daemon (sha256: a1b2c3d4...)

Functions analyzed: 47
Decompilation performed: yes (function 0x8400)

Key functions:
  FACT: Function 0x8400 calls curl_easy_perform, curl_easy_setopt (source: r2 axfj)
  FACT: Function 0x8400 references string "api.thermco.com/telemetry" (source: r2 axtj)
  FACT: Function 0x9200 parses JSON using jsmn library (source: decompilation)
  FACT: Function 0x10800 is main loop, calls 0x8400 after sleep(30) (source: r2 pdf)

Cross-references:
  FACT: main calls init_config (0x9000) then main_loop (0x10800) (source: r2 axtj)
  FACT: main_loop calls send_telemetry (0x8400) in loop (source: r2 pdf)

HYPOTHESIS UPDATE: Telemetry client sending to api.thermco.com every 30 seconds (confidence: 0.85)
  Supporting: URL string, curl imports, sleep(30) in loop
  Contradicting: none

New questions:
  QUESTION: What data fields are included in telemetry payload?
  QUESTION: Is there any authentication/API key?

Answered questions:
  RESOLVED: "What endpoint?" → api.thermco.com/telemetry via HTTPS

Decision Points

After static analysis:

1. Identified critical functions? → Ready for dynamic verification
2. Unclear behavior? → Try dynamic analysis for runtime observation
3. Crypto detected? → Document key handling, note for security review
4. Anti-analysis patterns? → Consider Unicorn snippet emulation

Next Steps

→ binary-re-dynamic-analysis to verify hypotheses with runtime observation → binary-re-synthesis if sufficient understanding reached