Binary Code Obfuscation Through C++ Template Meta-Programming

Defending programs against illegitimate use and tampering has become both a field of study and a large industry. Code obfuscation is one of several strategies to stop, or slow down, malicious attackers from gaining knowledge about the internal workings of a program. Binary code obfuscation tools often come in two (sometimes overlapping) flavors. On the one hand there are binary protectors, tools outside of the development chain that translate a compiled binary into another, less intelligible one. On the other hand there are software development kits that require a significant effort from the developer to ensure the program is adequately obfuscated. In this paper, we present obfuscation methods that are easily integrated into the development chain of C++ programs, by using the compiler itself to perform the obfuscated code generation. This is accomplished by using advanced C++ techniques, such as operator overloading, template metaprogramming, expression templates, and more. We achieve obfus­cated code featuring randomization, opaque predicates and data masking. We evaluate our obfuscating transformations in terms of potency, resilience, stealth, and cost.