Auto-Identification of MCU Models to Simplify ARM Bare-Metal Reverse Engineering
ARMify aims to become a plugin for the open-source reverse engineering tool Ghidra, with its primary goal being to assist security analysts in analyzing ARM Cortex-M bare-metal firmware. This is achieved through automatic microcontroller model identification and annotation of memory-mapped peripherals. It helps analysts to understand how the firmware interacts with microcontroller features, offering significant time savings compared to manual cross-referencing with the microcontroller datasheet.
The development entails creating an SVD parser (the SVD standard formalizes Cortex-M microcontroller system details, such as peripheral registers, in XML format) and a comprehensive microcontroller database, both of which will be released as standalone tools alongside ARMify. The SVD parser will enable the processing and preparation of Cortex-M microcontroller system details, while the microcontroller database will provide a repository of technical characteristics and a user-friendly interface for easy access.
Project Lead: SBA Research