cmu-sei/kaijuCERT Kaiju is a binary analysis framework extension for the Ghidra software reverse engineering suite. This repository is a "mirror" -- please file tickets, bug reports, or pull requests at the upstream home in @CERTCC: https://github.com/certcc/kaiju
CERT Kaiju is a collection of binary analysis tools for Ghidra.
This is a Ghidra/Java implementation of some features of the [CERT Pharos Binary Analysis Framework][pharos], particularly the function hashing and malware analysis tools, but is expected to grow new tools and capabilities over time.
As this is a new effort, this implementation does not yet have full feature parity with the original C++ implementation based on ROSE; however, the move to Java and Ghidra has actually enabled some new features not available in the original framework -- notably, improved handling of non-x86 architectures. Since some significant re-architecting of the framework and tools is taking place, and the move to Java and Ghidra enables different capabilities than the C++ implementation, the decision was made to utilize new branding such that there would be less confusion between implementations when discussing the different tools and capabilities.
Our intention for the near future is to maintain both the original Pharos framework as well as Kaiju, side-by-side, since both can provide unique features and capabilities.
CAVEAT: As a prototype, there are many issues that may come up when evaluating the function hashes created by this plugin. For example, unlike the Pharos implementation, Kaiju's function hashing module will create hashes for very small functions (e.g., ones with a single instruction like RET causing many more unintended collisions). As such, analytical results may vary between this plugin and Pharos fn2hash.
[Pre-built Kaiju packages][prebuilts] are available. Simply download the ZIP file corresponding with your version of Ghidra and install according to the instructions below. It is recommended to install via Ghidra's graphical interface, but it is also possible to manually unzip into the appropriate directory to install.
CERT Kaiju requires the following runtime dependencies:
Z3 is provided pre-compiled as part of the pre-built packages, or you may build Z3 on your own or use your Linux distribution's package.
Start Ghidra, and from the opening window, select from the menu:
File > Install Extension. Click the plus sign at the top of the
extensions window, navigate and select the .zip file in the file
browser and hit OK. The extension will be installed and a checkbox
will be marked next to the name of the extension in the window
to let you know it is installed and ready.
The interface will ask you to restart Ghidra to start using the extension. Simply restart, and then Kaiju's extra features will be available for use interactively or in scripts.
Some functionality may require enabling Kaiju plugins. To do this,
open the Code Browser then navigate to the menu File > Configure.
In the window that pops up, click the Configure link below
the "CERT Kaiju" category icon. A pop-up will display all available
publicly released Kaiju plugins. Check any plugins
you wish to activate, then hit OK. You will now have access to
interactive plugin features.
If a plugin is not immediately visible once enabled, you
can find the plugin underneath the Window menu in the Code Browser.
Experimental "alpha" versions of future tools may be available from the "Experimental" category if you wish to test them. However these plugins are definitely experimental and unsupported and not recommended for production use. We do welcome early feedback though!
Ghidra extensions like Kaiju may also be installed manually by unzipping the extension contents into the appropriate directory of your Ghidra installation. For more information, please see The Ghidra Installation Guide.
You can also build the Kaiju extension directly from source code.
See the INSTALL.md file included in the top Kaiju source directory.
Kaiju's tools may be used either in an interactive graphical way, or via a "headless" mode more suited for batch jobs. Some tools may only be available for graphical or headless use, by the nature of the tool.
Kaiju creates an interactive graphical interface (GUI) within Ghidra utilizing Java Swing and Ghidra's plugin architecture.
Most of Kaiju's tools are actually Analysis plugins that run automatically
when the "Auto Analysis" option is chosen, either upon import of
a new executable to disassemble, or by directly choosing
Analysis > Auto Analyze... from the code browser window. You will
see several CERT Analysis plugins selected by default in the Auto Analyze
tool, but you can enable/disable any as desired.
The Analysis tools must be run before the various GUI tools will work, however. In some corner cases, it may even be helpful to run the Auto Analysis twice to ensure all of the metadata is produced to create correct partitioning and disassembly information, which in turn can influence the hashing results.
Analyzers are automatically run during Ghidra's analysis phase and include:
