It Should Be Easier To Add Additional Activities To Objective-C And Shared Cache Workflows

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It Should Be Easier to Add Additional Activities to Objective-C and Shared Cache Workflows

As a developer working with Binary Ninja, a powerful disassembly and reverse engineering platform, you may have encountered the challenge of adding function activities to run in all Mach-O binaries, including those without Objective-C, with Objective-C, or loaded from the shared cache. In this article, we will explore the current limitations and potential solutions to this issue, with a focus on improving the workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache workflows.

The core.function.objectiveC and core.function.sharedCache workflows in Binary Ninja currently clone from core.function.baseAnalysis, which means they do not inherit any modifications made to core.function.metaAnalysis by plug-ins. This limitation makes it difficult for plug-ins to add function activities that run in all Mach-O binaries, as they cannot rely on the modified core.function.metaAnalysis workflow.

There have been discussions on the Binary Ninja Slack channel about this issue, with two potential solutions proposed:

  1. Modifying core.function.metaAnalysis: The Objective-C and shared cache plug-ins could modify core.function.metaAnalysis and use view type predicates to ensure their activities run only in their views. This approach would require careful consideration of the ordering and dependencies between plug-ins.
  2. Cloning core.function.metaAnalysis: Alternatively, the workflows could clone core.function.metaAnalysis instead of core.function.baseAnalysis. However, this would introduce an ordering issue, as plug-ins would need to ensure they are loaded and have modified core.function.metaAnalysis prior to the Objective-C or shared cache plug-ins creating their clones.

For now, one workaround is to explicitly register activities in all three workflows. This requires that plug-ins declare an optional dependency on the workflow_objc and sharedcache plug-ins, so that they are loaded and create their workflows before the plug-in is initialized. However, this approach has its own limitations, as registering the activity multiple times while using automatic eligibility results in log spew about the setting name.

Example Log Output

[Default error] Setting: bdash.arm64e-pac already registered!
[Default error] Setting: bdash.arm64e-pac already registered!

In conclusion, adding function activities to run in all Mach-O binaries, including those without Objective-C, with Objective-C, or loaded from the shared cache, is a challenging task in Binary Ninja. While there are potential solutions, such as modifying core.function.metaAnalysis or cloning core.function.metaAnalysis, these approaches require careful consideration of the ordering and dependencies between plug-ins. For now, explicitly registering activities in all three workflows is a viable workaround, but it has its own limitations. We hope that this article will help raise awareness about this issue and encourage the Binary Ninja community to work towards a more streamlined and efficient workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache workflows.

To improve the workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache, we propose the following future directions:

  1. Modify core.function.metaAnalysis: Consider modifying core.function.metaAnalysis to make it more flexible and adaptable to different plug-ins and workflows.
  2. Improve cloning behavior: Investigate ways to improve the cloning behavior of workflows, such as introducing a more robust and flexible way to clone core.function.metaAnalysis.
  3. Enhance plug-in dependencies: Explore ways to enhance plug-in dependencies, such as introducing a more explicit and flexible way to declare dependencies between plug-ins.

By working together, we can create a more efficient and streamlined workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache workflows in Binary Ninja.
Frequently Asked Questions: Adding Additional Activities to Objective-C and Shared Cache Workflows

In our previous article, we discussed the challenges of adding function activities to run in all Mach-O binaries, including those without Objective-C, with Objective-C, or loaded from the shared cache. We also explored potential solutions and workarounds to this issue. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions about adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache workflows.

Q: What is the current limitation of the core.function.objectiveC and core.function.sharedCache workflows?

A: The core.function.objectiveC and core.function.sharedCache workflows currently clone from core.function.baseAnalysis, which means they do not inherit any modifications made to core.function.metaAnalysis by plug-ins.

Q: Why can't plug-ins modify core.function.metaAnalysis directly?

A: Modifying core.function.metaAnalysis directly would require careful consideration of the ordering and dependencies between plug-ins. This could lead to conflicts and inconsistencies between different plug-ins and workflows.

Q: What are the potential solutions to this issue?

A: There are two potential solutions:

  1. Modifying core.function.metaAnalysis: The Objective-C and shared cache plug-ins could modify core.function.metaAnalysis and use view type predicates to ensure their activities run only in their views.
  2. Cloning core.function.metaAnalysis: Alternatively, the workflows could clone core.function.metaAnalysis instead of core.function.baseAnalysis. However, this would introduce an ordering issue, as plug-ins would need to ensure they are loaded and have modified core.function.metaAnalysis prior to the Objective-C or shared cache plug-ins creating their clones.

Q: What is the workaround for explicitly registering activities in all three workflows?

A: To work around this issue, plug-ins can declare an optional dependency on the workflow_objc and sharedcache plug-ins, so that they are loaded and create their workflows before the plug-in is initialized. However, this approach has its own limitations, as registering the activity multiple times while using automatic eligibility results in log spew about the setting name.

Q: What are the benefits of modifying core.function.metaAnalysis?

A: Modifying core.function.metaAnalysis would allow plug-ins to add function activities that run in all Mach-O binaries, including those without Objective-C, with Objective-C, or loaded from the shared cache. This would provide more flexibility and adaptability to different plug-ins and workflows.

Q: What are the potential drawbacks of cloning core.function.metaAnalysis?

A: Cloning core.function.metaAnalysis would introduce an ordering issue, as plug-ins would need to ensure they are loaded and have modified core.function.metaAnalysis prior to the Objective-C or shared cache plug-ins creating their clones. This could lead to conflicts and inconsistencies between different plug-ins and workflows.

Q: What is the future direction for improving the workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache?

A: To improve the workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache, we propose the following future directions:

  1. Modify core.function.metaAnalysis: Consider modifying core.metaAnalysis to make it more flexible and adaptable to different plug-ins and workflows.
  2. Improve cloning behavior: Investigate ways to improve the cloning behavior of workflows, such as introducing a more robust and flexible way to clone core.function.metaAnalysis.
  3. Enhance plug-in dependencies: Explore ways to enhance plug-in dependencies, such as introducing a more explicit and flexible way to declare dependencies between plug-ins.

In conclusion, adding function activities to run in all Mach-O binaries, including those without Objective-C, with Objective-C, or loaded from the shared cache, is a challenging task in Binary Ninja. While there are potential solutions, such as modifying core.function.metaAnalysis or cloning core.function.metaAnalysis, these approaches require careful consideration of the ordering and dependencies between plug-ins. We hope that this article will help raise awareness about this issue and encourage the Binary Ninja community to work towards a more streamlined and efficient workflow for adding additional activities to Objective-C and shared cache workflows.