IDA Pro, Ghidra

IDA Pro & Ghidra Mastery Roadmap

This detailed roadmap will take you from beginner to expert in IDA Pro & Ghidra, covering reverse engineering, binary analysis, malware analysis, exploit development, and automation techniques.

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Phase 1: Fundamentals of Reverse Engineering

✅ Introduction to Reverse Engineering

• What is Reverse Engineering?

• Legal & Ethical Considerations

• Common Use Cases: Malware Analysis, Software Cracking, Binary Exploitation

• Understanding Executable Formats (PE, ELF, Mach-O)

✅ Setting Up Your Reverse Engineering Environment

• Installing IDA Pro (Free & Pro Versions)

• Installing Ghidra (NSA’s Open-Source Tool)

• Other Essential Tools:

  • x64dbg, OllyDbg, Radare2, GDB, Binary Ninja

  • Virtual Machines & Sandboxing (VMware, VirtualBox, FLARE VM)

📌 Mini Projects:

• Disassemble a Simple Hello World Executable

• Analyze a Basic Keygen Program

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Phase 2: IDA Pro & Static Analysis

✅ Understanding IDA Pro’s Interface & Features

• Graph View vs. Text View

• Functions, Segments, and Names Windows

• Navigating the Disassembly & Cross-Referencing (XREFs)

✅ Static Analysis Techniques in IDA Pro

• Identifying Function Entry Points & Strings

• Recognizing Conditional Branches (JMP, CALL, RET)

• Finding & Understanding Windows API Calls

• Using FLIRT Signatures for Library Identification

✅ Writing IDA Pro Scripts (IDAPython)

• Automating Function Renaming & Analysis

• Extracting Strings & API Calls Automatically

• Basic Scripting for Binary Patching

📌 Mini Projects:

• Analyze a Cracked Software & Identify the Registration Check

• Write an IDAPython Script to Identify Syscalls Automatically

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Phase 3: Ghidra & Decompilation Techniques

✅ Understanding Ghidra’s Interface & Features

• Navigating the Code Browser & Symbol Tree

• Decompilation vs. Disassembly

• Using the Function Call Graph for Code Flow Analysis

✅ Analyzing Executables with Ghidra

• Identifying & Labeling Functions

• Cross-Referencing API Calls & Data Structures

• Detecting Encryption & Obfuscation Techniques

✅ Ghidra Scripting (Python & Java)

• Writing Scripts to Automate Function Name Extraction

• Batch Decompiling & Extracting Constants

• Patching Code Directly in Ghidra

📌 Mini Projects:

• Decompile & Analyze a Basic CrackMe in Ghidra

• Write a Ghidra Script to Extract Hardcoded Credentials

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Phase 4: Advanced Reverse Engineering with IDA Pro & Ghidra

✅ Analyzing Packed & Obfuscated Binaries

• Identifying Packed Code & Unpacking with x64dbg

• Deobfuscating Malware Techniques (Control Flow Flattening, Junk Code Insertion)

✅ Binary Patching & Code Injection

• Modifying a Program’s Behavior Using IDA & Ghidra

• Writing & Injecting Shellcode

• API Hooking & Function Redirection

✅ Reverse Engineering Network & File-Based Malware

• Extracting C2 Server Information from Malware Samples

• Identifying & Modifying Encryption Algorithms (XOR, AES, RC4)

• Analyzing Ransomware Behavior

📌 Mini Projects:

• Unpack & Analyze a UPX-Packed Malware Sample

• Modify a Binary to Bypass License Verification

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Phase 5: Exploit Development & Binary Exploitation

✅ Identifying Vulnerabilities in Executables

• Buffer Overflows & Stack Corruption Analysis

• Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) & Control Flow Hijacking

• Heap Exploitation & Use-After-Free Vulnerabilities

✅ Developing Exploits with IDA Pro & Ghidra

• Finding & Analyzing Function Entry Points

• Generating Exploit Payloads with Metasploit & Custom Shellcode

• Testing Exploits in Controlled Environments

📌 Mini Projects:

• Develop an Exploit for a Simple Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

• Patch a Program to Remove Anti-Debugging Protections

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Phase 6: Reverse Engineering & Malware Analysis in the Real World

✅ Reverse Engineering Modern Malware Families

• Analyzing Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Malware

• Deobfuscating & Debugging Packed Malware

• Extracting Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)

✅ Bypassing Anti-Analysis Techniques

• Detecting & Defeating Anti-Debugging Tricks

• Identifying & Removing Anti-Virtual Machine Checks

• Dumping Memory for Analysis (Volatility, Rekall)

✅ Automation & Machine Learning for Reverse Engineering

• Automating Malware Classification with Machine Learning

• Building AI-Assisted Reverse Engineering Pipelines

• Ghidra’s AI & Plugin Capabilities

📌 Final Projects:

• Reverse Engineer & Document a Real-World Malware Sample

• Automate API Call Extraction from Malware Using Python Scripts

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Final Step: Real-World Practice & Skill Testing

🔥 Platforms to Test & Improve Skills:

• IDA Pro Official Documentation

• Ghidra Official Docs

• Malware Reverse Engineering Challenges

• Exploit Development & Reverse Engineering Labs

• Malware Analysis Exercises

🚀 By mastering this roadmap, you’ll be able to: ✅ Analyze & Decompile Complex Binaries ✅ Develop Exploits & Patch Vulnerabilities ✅ Reverse Engineer Malware & Extract IoCs ✅ Automate Reverse Engineering Tasks with Python & Ghidra Scripts

🔥 Start reverse engineering today!