Assembly (x86/x64, ARM)
Assembly Language (x86/x64, ARM) Mastery Roadmap
This detailed roadmap will take you from beginner to expert in Assembly Language, covering x86/x64 and ARM architectures, focusing on low-level programming, debugging, reverse engineering, exploit development, and system programming.
Phase 1: Assembly Language Fundamentals
✅ Introduction to Assembly
What is Assembly Language?
How Assembly Works with the CPU (Registers, Memory, Stack, Instructions)
Understanding Machine Code & Instruction Sets (x86, x64, ARM)
Comparison: High-Level vs. Low-Level Programming
✅ Setting Up an Assembly Development Environment
Tools for x86/x64 Assembly
NASM (Netwide Assembler), MASM (Microsoft Assembler)
GNU Assembler (GAS)
Debuggers: GDB, OllyDbg, x64dbg
Tools for ARM Assembly
GNU ARM Toolchain, Keil, ARM Developer Suite (ADS)
📌 Mini Projects:
Write & Execute a Simple "Hello, World!" Program in x86 Assembly
Write a Simple ARM Assembly Program on Raspberry Pi
Phase 2: x86/x64 Assembly Programming
✅ CPU Architecture & Registers
General Purpose Registers (EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, RAX, etc.)
Segment Registers (CS, DS, ES, FS, GS, SS)
Control Registers & Flag Registers
✅ Memory Addressing & Data Representation
Stack Operations (PUSH, POP, CALL, RET)
Memory Segmentation & Paging
Data Types & Endianness (Little Endian vs. Big Endian)
✅ Basic Assembly Instructions
Data Movement (MOV, LEA, XCHG, PUSH, POP)
Arithmetic & Logical Operations (ADD, SUB, MUL, DIV, AND, OR, XOR, SHL, SHR)
Control Flow & Branching (JMP, JZ, JNZ, LOOP, CMP, CALL, RET)
Interrupts & System Calls (INT 0x80, SYSCALL)
📌 Mini Projects:
Create a Simple Calculator in Assembly
Write a Program That Manipulates Stack & Registers
Phase 3: Advanced x86/x64 Assembly & Debugging
✅ Calling Conventions & Function Calls
x86 vs. x64 Calling Conventions (cdecl, stdcall, fastcall, sysV ABI)
Understanding Stack Frames (ESP, EBP, RSP, RBP)
✅ Low-Level System Programming
Interacting with the Operating System (Linux syscalls, Windows API)
Reading & Writing Files in Assembly
Hooking & Patching Functions
✅ Debugging & Reverse Engineering with Assembly
Using GDB to Analyze Assembly Code
x64dbg & OllyDbg for Reverse Engineering
Disassembling Executables with IDA Pro & Radare2
📌 Mini Projects:
Reverse Engineer a Simple CrackMe Challenge
Patch an Executable to Change Its Behavior
Phase 4: ARM Assembly Programming
✅ ARM Architecture Basics
Registers (R0-R12, SP, LR, PC, CPSR)
ARM Instruction Set (ARM vs. Thumb Mode)
Stack & Memory Management
✅ ARM Instruction Set & Programming
Data Movement (LDR, STR, MOV, MVN)
Arithmetic & Logical Operations (ADD, SUB, MUL, AND, ORR, EOR, CMP)
Branching & Control Flow (B, BL, BX, CMP, BEQ, BNE)
System Calls & Interrupts (SWI, SVC)
📌 Mini Projects:
Write a Simple Shellcode in ARM Assembly
Develop a Basic ARM-Based Keylogger
Phase 5: Assembly for Reverse Engineering & Exploit Development
✅ Shellcoding & Exploit Writing
What is Shellcode? Writing Position-Independent Code (PIC)
Crafting x86/x64 Shellcode (Linux & Windows)
Understanding Buffer Overflows & Stack Smashing
✅ Binary Exploitation Techniques
ROP (Return-Oriented Programming)
Heap Exploitation & Use-After-Free (UAF) Attacks
Format String Vulnerabilities
✅ Malware Analysis with Assembly
Analyzing Malware Behavior with IDA Pro & Ghidra
Identifying Obfuscation & Anti-Debugging Techniques
Decrypting XOR & Base64 Encoded Payloads
📌 Mini Projects:
Develop a Custom Shellcode & Execute it in Linux
Analyze a Real-World Malware Sample Using Assembly
Phase 6: Advanced Assembly & Optimization
✅ Vector & SIMD Instructions
MMX, SSE, AVX, NEON (ARM) for High-Performance Computing
Writing Optimized Assembly Code for Performance
✅ Writing Assembly for Embedded Systems & IoT
Bare-Metal ARM Programming on Raspberry Pi
Interfacing with Sensors & Peripherals (UART, SPI, I2C)
📌 Final Projects:
Develop a Minimal Bootloader in x86 Assembly
Create a Custom Encryption Algorithm Using Assembly
Final Step: Real-World Practice & Skill Testing
🔥 Platforms to Test & Improve Skills:
🚀 By mastering this roadmap, you’ll be able to: ✅ Write & Debug Low-Level Assembly Code ✅ Reverse Engineer & Analyze Binary Executables ✅ Develop Exploits & Security Research Techniques ✅ Optimize Code for Performance & Embedded Systems
🔥 Start coding with Assembly today!
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