Dynamic Binary Modification: Tools, Techniques, and Applications (Synthesis Lectures on Computer Architecture)

Dynamic binary modification tools form a software layer between a running application and the underlying operating system, providing the powerful opportunity to inspect and potentially modify every user-level guest application instruction that executes. Toolkits built upon this technology have enabled computer architects to build powerful simulators and emulators for design-space exploration, compiler writers to analyze and debug the code generated by their compilers, software developers to fully explore the features, bottlenecks, and performance of their software, and even end-users to extend the functionality of proprietary software running on their computers. Several dynamic binary modification systems are freely available today that place this power into the hands of the end user. While these systems are quite complex internally, they mask that complexity with an easy-to-learn API that allows a typical user to ramp up fairly quickly and build any of a number of powerful tools. Meanwhile, these tools are robust enough to form the foundation for software products in use today. This book serves as a primer for researchers interested in dynamic binary modification systems, their internal design structure, and the wide range of tools that can be built leveraging these systems. The hands-on examples presented throughout form a solid foundation for designing and constructing more complex tools, with an appreciation for the techniques necessary to make those tools robust and efficient. Meanwhile, the reader will get an appreciation for the internal design of the engines themselves. Table of Contents: Dynamic Binary Modification: Overview / Using a Dynamic Binary Modifier / Program Analysis and Debugging / Active Program Modification / Architectural Exploration / Advanced System Internals / Historical Perspectives / Summary and Observations

動態二進制修改工具是在運行應用程序和底層操作系統之間形成一個軟件層，提供了檢查和潛在修改每個用戶級別的應用程序指令的強大機會。基於這項技術構建的工具包使計算機架構師能夠構建功能強大的模擬器和仿真器，以進行設計空間探索；編譯器編寫者能夠分析和調試其編譯器生成的代碼；軟件開發人員能夠充分探索其軟件的功能、瓶頸和性能；甚至最終用戶能夠擴展其計算機上運行的專有軟件的功能。今天有幾個動態二進制修改系統是免費提供的，將這種功能交到最終用戶手中。儘管這些系統在內部非常複雜，但它們通過易於學習的API掩蓋了這種複雜性，使一般用戶能夠相對迅速地上手並構建出多種功能強大的工具。同時，這些工具足夠堅固，可以成為當今使用的軟件產品的基礎。

本書是為對動態二進制修改系統、其內部設計結構以及可以利用這些系統構建的各種工具感興趣的研究人員提供的入門指南。書中提供的實例為設計和構建更複雜工具奠定了堅實的基礎，並對使這些工具堅固高效所需的技術有所了解。同時，讀者將對引擎本身的內部設計有所了解。

目錄：動態二進制修改：概述 / 使用動態二進制修改器 / 程序分析和調試 / 主動程序修改 / 架構探索 / 高級系統內部 / 歷史觀點 / 總結和觀察