IDA Pro 3 Hours Primer from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Manually unpack upx, visualise unpacking routine, reconstruct and verify import tables
Analyse self-modifying code, patch and re-assemble routines
Analyse a user-mode rootkit that hides processes and windows services

Analyse layers of obfuscations of torlocker ransomware
Solve crackmes
Analyse 64-bit code: compiler optimisations, calling conventions, passing parameters and floating point numbers representation.

Manually unpack upx, visualise unpacking routine, reconstruct and verify import tables
Analyse self-modifying code, patch and re-assemble routines
Analyse a user-mode rootkit that hides processes and windows services
Analyse layers of obfuscations of torlocker ransomware
Solve crackmes
Analyse 64-bit code: compiler optimisations, calling conventions, passing parameters and floating point numbers representation.

Syllabus

Introduction

Virtual environment setup.
Cheatsheet with malware analysis and reverse engineering essential tools.
Cheatsheet with IDA Pro tips and tricks to refer to throughout the course.

Find original entry point manually, dump process from memory, reconstruct imports table.

Work with flow charts, find OEP manually, dump processes and reconstruct and verify the imports table. Additional walkthrough manual PDF file.

UPX manual unpacking (Windows 10)

Step-by-step analysis of a classic piece of self-modifying code

Step-by-step static analysis of a classic self-modifying code in IDA Pro. Additional walkthrough manual PDF file.

Analysis of a user-mode rootkit that hides processes and services

Understand how to access GUI elements of other windows programatically from C++ code.

Analyse the rootkit code and learn navigation tricks in IDA.

More IDA tricks: adding comments, bookmarks, symbolic constants and debugging.

Go through some of the obfuscation layers of Torlocker ransomware and other malware

Debug, analyse and save data segments which are decrypted dynamically.

Work with IDA segments from IDC scripts and dump memory segments.

Code flow obfuscations, junk blocks and strange function calling tricks.

Recognise and work with code hidden in the overlay part of PE files.

A walkthrough of a simple crackme exercise

Reverse engineer the code of a simple crackme exercise.

Create and import C header files for custom structures inside the crackme exercise.

Important aspects of 64-bit compiled binaries: optimisations, calling conventions, assembly code.

64-bit code optimisations of Visual Studio C++ compiler and their impact on disassembling and decompilation.

64-bit calling convention, parameter passing and function returns.

Play with single precision floating point numbers in assembly code.

Work with debugging symbols from PDB files and source level debugging in IDA.

Conclusions and Next Steps

End notes and next steps

End of course quiz

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Provides hands-on experience with real-world malware samples, which allows learners to apply their knowledge in practical scenarios

Covers both static and dynamic analysis techniques, which are essential for comprehensive reverse engineering

Requires a Windows virtual machine and the will to learn, which makes it accessible to a wide range of students

Explores advanced topics like unpacking, rootkit analysis, and ransomware obfuscation, which are relevant to modern security challenges

Uses IDA Pro for Windows and occasionally Linux, which are industry-standard tools for reverse engineering and malware analysis

Basic knowledge of programming and assembly language is helpful, which suggests that learners may need to supplement their learning with additional resources

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in IDA Pro 3 Hours Primer with these activities:

Review Assembly Language Fundamentals

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Solidify your understanding of assembly language concepts, which are crucial for reverse engineering and malware analysis with IDA Pro.

Browse courses on Assembly Language

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Study assembly language tutorials.
Practice reading and writing simple assembly code.
Familiarize yourself with common assembly instructions.

Read 'Reverse Engineering for Beginners'

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Gain a broader understanding of reverse engineering principles, which will enhance your ability to use IDA Pro effectively.

View Alter Ego: A Novel on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to assembly language and debugging.
Practice the techniques described in the book.
Apply the book's concepts to the IDA Pro course examples.

Read 'Practical Malware Analysis'

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Enhance your understanding of malware analysis techniques, which are directly applicable to the course's practical examples.

View Practical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide... on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to static and dynamic analysis.
Work through the examples and exercises in the book.
Compare the book's techniques with those taught in the course.

Three other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all six activities

Solve CrackMe Challenges

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Apply your reverse engineering skills by solving CrackMe challenges, which are small programs designed to be cracked.

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Download CrackMe challenges from online resources.
Use IDA Pro to analyze the CrackMe's code.
Identify the program's protection mechanisms.
Bypass the protection and crack the program.

Document Malware Analysis Findings

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Improve your analysis and communication skills by documenting your findings from analyzing malware samples.

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Select a malware sample to analyze.
Analyze the malware using IDA Pro and other tools.
Document your findings in a report, including the malware's behavior and functionality.
Share your report with others for feedback.

Analyze a Real-World Malware Sample

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Apply your IDA Pro skills to analyze a real-world malware sample and understand its functionality.

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Obtain a malware sample from a reputable source.
Analyze the malware using IDA Pro and other tools.
Identify the malware's functionality and behavior.
Document your findings in a detailed report.
Present your analysis to others.

Career center

Learners who complete IDA Pro 3 Hours Primer will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reverse Engineer

A reverse engineer analyzes the structure, function, and operation of software or hardware. This career often involves disassembling and decompiling code to understand its inner workings, identify vulnerabilities, or adapt it for other purposes. This course, centered around IDA Pro, helps reverse engineers learn how to effectively use a powerful disassembler and debugger, and also demonstrates how to navigate complicated code, unpack malware, and analyze obfuscation techniques as seen in Torlocker ransomware. These methods build a foundation for reverse engineers to examine and understand complex systems, making them adept at discovering vulnerabilities and understanding the behavior of compiled programs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Reverse Engineer

Malware Analyst

Malware analysts examine malicious software to understand its functionality, origin, and potential impact. They dissect code, analyze behavior, and develop signatures to detect and mitigate threats. This course directly helps those aspiring to be malware analysts. The practical examples using IDA Pro, like unpacking UPX, analyzing self-modifying code, and dissecting Torlocker ransomware, mirror real-world malware analysis tasks. By learning to use IDA Pro to dismantle and understand these threats, malware analysts can develop the skills to identify, classify, and neutralize new and evolving malware.

See salaries and explore the career path for Malware Analyst

Security Researcher

Security researchers investigate software and systems to identify vulnerabilities and security flaws. This career involves a deep understanding of system architecture, programming languages, and security principles. With this course, security researchers may learn to use IDA Pro to dissect complex software, uncover hidden vulnerabilities, and analyze attack vectors. The course's exploration of topics like self-modifying code and obfuscation techniques provides insights into how attackers try to hide their tracks, therefore helping security researchers become more effective at finding and mitigating security weaknesses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Researcher

Vulnerability Analyst

Vulnerability analysts identify and assess weaknesses in software and hardware systems. They use various testing methods, including reverse engineering, to find potential entry points for attackers. The IDA Pro primer may be useful for vulnerability analysts, as it provides practical experience in reverse engineering and malware analysis. The course covers topics like analyzing self-modifying code and unpacking routines, which help vulnerability analysts discover and understand potential flaws in software. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples may enable vulnerability analysts to sharpen their skills in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vulnerability Analyst

Exploit Developer

Exploit developers create code that takes advantage of security vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems. This requires a deep understanding of system architecture, programming, and reverse engineering. This course provides a solid foundation for exploit development by covering topics like analyzing self-modifying code, unpacking routines, and reverse engineering crackme exercises. By learning how to use IDA Pro to dissect and understand complex software, exploit developers hone their skills in finding and exploiting vulnerabilities. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples provide practical experience in reverse engineering and code analysis.

See salaries and explore the career path for Exploit Developer

Penetration Tester

Penetration testers simulate cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in systems and networks. They use a variety of tools and techniques to assess security posture and provide recommendations for improvement. This course may be useful to penetration testers, as it introduces some of the reverse engineering techniques used by attackers. Analyzing malware and understanding obfuscation methods, as taught in this course, provides penetration testers with insights into how attackers operate. The ability to dissect and understand complex code helps penetration testers find vulnerabilities and assess the security of systems they test.

See salaries and explore the career path for Penetration Tester

Application Security Engineer

Application security engineers focus on building secure software by identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities throughout the development lifecycle. This role requires a solid understanding of secure coding practices, threat modeling, and security testing. This course helps application security engineers learn to use reverse engineering techniques to analyze software and identify potential vulnerabilities, through unpacking malware, and analyzing obfuscation techniques. By developing the ability to find and fix flaws in code, application security engineers ensure the software they build is resilient to attacks.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Security Engineer

Security Consultant

Security consultants advise organizations on how to improve their security posture. This career involves assessing risks, recommending security controls, and implementing security solutions. This course may be useful to security consultants, as it provides insights into reverse engineering techniques and malware analysis. Understanding the methods used by attackers, as covered in the course, helps security consultants assess the security of systems and provides better recommendations to clients. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples may sharpen analytical skills.

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Software Developer

Software developers design, write, and test code for various applications and systems. While the role primarily focuses on creating new software, understanding reverse engineering can still be beneficial. This course may be useful to software developers by providing insights into how code can be analyzed and potentially exploited. Learning to use IDA Pro to disassemble and understand compiled code helps software developers write more secure and efficient software. Understanding common vulnerabilities and obfuscation techniques from an attacker's perspective may produce better results.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Cybersecurity Analyst

Cybersecurity analysts monitor systems and networks for security incidents, investigate alerts, and respond to threats. This role requires a broad understanding of security principles, tools, and techniques. Analyzing malware and understanding reverse engineering concepts, as covered in this course, may be helpful to cybersecurity analysts. By learning how to dissect and understand malicious code, cybersecurity analysts can improve their ability to detect and respond to security incidents. The hands-on exercises and real-world examples may sharpen analytical skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cybersecurity Analyst

Firmware Engineer

Firmware engineers develop and maintain the software embedded in hardware devices. This requires a deep understanding of both hardware and software systems. Firmware engineers often work with low-level code and must be able to debug and analyze complex systems. This course may be useful for firmware engineers, as it introduces reverse engineering techniques for analyzing compiled binaries. Learning to use IDA Pro helps firmware engineers understand and modify existing firmware. The hands-on exercises provide practical experience in disassembling and analyzing code.

See salaries and explore the career path for Firmware Engineer

Digital Forensics Analyst

Digital forensics analysts investigate cybercrimes and security incidents to collect and analyze digital evidence. They use various tools and techniques to recover data, trace activity, and identify perpetrators. This course may be useful for digital forensics analysts, as it helps them learn to analyze malicious software and reverse engineer code. The skills gained in this course, such as unpacking routines and analyzing obfuscation techniques, enable digital forensics analysts to better understand the behavior of malware and trace its origins. This helps them in their investigations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Forensics Analyst

Incident Responder

Incident responders are responsible for handling cybersecurity incidents. This includes identifying, analyzing, and containing threats, as well as coordinating remediation efforts. This course may be useful for incident responders, as it may provide better knowledge of malware analysis and reverse engineering techniques. Understanding how attackers develop and deploy malware, as covered in the course, gives incident responders the insights needed to effectively contain and eradicate threats. By learning how to use IDA Pro, incident responders can dissect malicious code and understand its impact on compromised systems.

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Cryptographer

Cryptographers design and implement encryption algorithms and security protocols to protect sensitive data. This career requires a strong mathematics background and a deep understanding of security principles. While this course does not delve deeply into cryptographic algorithm design, it may be useful to cryptographers by providing insights into how encryption is used and potentially bypassed in real-world software. Reverse engineering malware samples, as covered in the course, helps cryptographers understand common vulnerabilities and develop more robust security solutions.

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Data Scientist

Data scientists analyze large datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights. While this career primarily focuses on statistical analysis and machine learning, understanding reverse engineering can still be beneficial. This course may be useful to data scientists by providing insights into how data is processed and manipulated in software. Learning to dissect and understand code helps data scientists analyze and interpret data more effectively. Understanding common vulnerabilities allows for more comprehensive data analysis.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in IDA Pro 3 Hours Primer.

Practical Malware Analysis

Save

Comprehensive guide to malware analysis, covering static and dynamic analysis techniques. It provides practical, hands-on exercises that align well with the course's focus on real-world examples and unpacking malware. It serves as an excellent companion for learners seeking to deepen their understanding of malware dissection and reverse engineering.

Practical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide to...

Paperback

Practical Malware Analysis: The Hands-On Guide to...

Kindle Edition

Alter Ego

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Comprehensive introduction to reverse engineering, covering a wide range of topics from assembly language to debugging techniques. It provides a solid foundation for understanding the concepts used in the IDA Pro course. It is particularly helpful in providing background and prerequisite knowledge. This book is more valuable as additional reading than it is as a current reference.

Alter Ego: A Novel

Paperback

IDA Pro 3 Hours Primer

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Save this course

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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