ARTeam: Primer on Reverse Engineering Symbian 3rd Applications v10

[Shub-Nigurrath]

Hi all

this time argv is releasing an interesting huge primer on reversing symbian s60 3rd edition applications. This was something missing from the collection of our tutorials, which I am proud to announce!

The tutorial is quite huge (41Mb archive). It includes reversing of 15 applications, plus the original SIS files (so you can train yourself) and two hacking methods you can use to hack your phone.

Hacking your phone means hack the system so as applications are allowed to access protected system folders, this was one of the protections added to s60 3rd symbian).

Reversers need to hack their phones to ease the reversing process, users of patched apps do not need this step of course. We just included two bullet proof methods which argv tested and that you can use too. Descriptions inside.

tutorials.accessroot.com

Have phun,

Shub

[Loki]

Excellent work argv - this is a great package!

Thanks Shub for the heads up

[3070]

Very good...

but where to find "ARM Reference Table" that contains arm instructions and their hex values ?

Thanks

[Shub-Nigurrath]

try searching here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...20and%20Others/

[aero9]

hi,

first of all, that is a good tutorial. but it lacks a certain amount of detail. the tutorial _shows_ you how to crack, but does not teach _how_ as in all the programs being cracked in the tutorial, the tutorial says jump to offset XXXX change HEX values DDDD to AAAA.

There is never a sound explanation as to why offset XXXX , how did argv get to XXXX in the first place? I know expecting a detailed analysis on all the programs is impossible, but just one or two, to teach us how the loading of descriptors from resources gives us the info about the correct area of the code to study (im guessing thats how argv found XXXX as the area to patch)

once we know which sub is the one that is called when things go bad, we can patch branches to that sub. we need some basic help on identifying BAD subs!

awsome tutorial otherwise, once we get past this basic block, im sure this tutorial will be helpful... (to verify cracking methods, comparing argv's areas of patching with my own ;-> )

cheers,

aero

[Shub-Nigurrath]

as I told on our forum I suggest starting from the other primer on symbian, the one I wrote. Once jailbroken s60 and s603rd are not much different and patching methods are the same.

You can even think of the first primer (mine) as the theory, the symbian symphony tutorial (I wrote too) as a commented exercise book and this last one (by argv) as an advanced exercise book without much comments.

You can find all of them here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...Team_Tutorials/

and tools here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...20and%20Others/

[aero9]

thanks shub, i started with that. but it seemed old to me, (i read up till the rsc files part) ill continue it now. thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

[Shub-Nigurrath]

you're welcome. Indeed is not old, because s603rd once unlocked is almost the same system as s60 then the tutorial applies there as well. But also if you do not unlock the s603d phone, the IDA approach is exactly the same no differences. The assembler is the same, the OS is afterall almost the same..afterall the name of the new os is s60 *3rd edition* ..still s60 then s60 is not still an old issue.

[aero9]

hi shub, i have read the primer tutorial, and also the symbian symphony tutorial by you. The entire process is clear to me, and now i think it just practice that i need. Programs that have strings built into the exe are fine, easy to get to the branch points, but programs that use resource files, i still am not clear how to map the resource to the code.

Can you please suggest some reading that will help me understand and the mapping of the resource (Rxx) files to the assembly in IDA?

cheers,

aero

[zdox]

On 2/1/2009 at 11:13 AM, Shub-Nigurrath said:

as I told on our forum I suggest starting from the other primer on symbian, the one I wrote. Once jailbroken s60 and s603rd are not much different and patching methods are the same.

You can even think of the first primer (mine) as the theory, the symbian symphony tutorial (I wrote too) as a commented exercise book and this last one (by argv) as an advanced exercise book without much comments.

You can find all of them here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...Team_Tutorials/

and tools here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...20and%20Others/

links are not working ....

[kao]

http://185.62.190.110/accessroot/arteam/site/download.php?view.223

 

[Shub-Nigurrath]

Try on our main site. It’s a frozen site but you can find anything there 

www.accessroot.com

[Yoti]

On 2/1/2009 at 7:13 PM, Shub-Nigurrath said:

You can find all of them here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...Team_Tutorials/

and tools here:

http://xchg.info/ARTeam/Tutorials/index.ph...20and%20Others/

Are there any working mirrors?