Formula
Group
Pentest
Keywords
Binary Stripping Pentesting
Last edited time
Apr 22, 2024 2:40 PM
Slug
Status
Review
Title
👉 Overview
👀 What ?
Pwnstrip is a cybersecurity tool that is part of the Pwn tools suite. It is used for binary stripping, which is the process of removing non-essential components from binary files to reduce their size and potentially obfuscate their functionality.
🧐 Why ?
Understanding pwnstrip is important for both cybersecurity professionals and software developers. For professionals tasked with securing systems, it makes it possible to understand what components of a binary are not necessary for its execution. This can help in the process of reverse engineering and malware analysis. For developers, it helps in creating binaries that are smaller and potentially more difficult to reverse engineer.
⛏️ How ?
To use pwnstrip, you first need to install the Pwn tools suite. This can be done using pip, the Python package installer. Once installed, pwnstrip can be used on a binary file by calling `pwnstrip` followed by the name of the file. The stripped binary will be outputted to a new file.
⏳ When ?
Pwnstrip and the Pwn tools suite have been in use since their development in 2006. However, the concept of binary stripping has been in use since the early days of computer programming.
⚙️ Technical Explanations
At a technical level, pwnstrip works by analysing the binary file and identifying sections that are not required for execution. This includes debugging symbols and other metadata. These sections are then removed from the binary. However, care must be taken when stripping binaries as removing the wrong sections can cause the binary to fail to execute. Pwnstrip handles this by using knowledge of common binary formats and their requirements to ensure that only non-essential sections are removed.