Binwalk
Binwalk is a powerful tool designed for analyzing, extracting, and reverse-engineering firmware images. It is frequently used by pentesters and security researchers for identifying embedded files and data in firmware, especially in IoT and hardware hacking.
Key Features
Signature Scanning
Binwalk scans firmware images for known file signatures such as compressed files, file systems, and cryptographic keys.
File Extraction
Automatically extracts embedded files and file systems from firmware images.
Entropy Analysis
Helps detect encrypted or compressed data by analyzing the randomness within a binary.
Custom Signatures
Users can define their own file signatures, expanding Binwalk's capabilities to detect specific patterns.
Cheat Sheet
Installation
Binwalk can be easily installed on most Linux distributions using the following command:
Usage
Here’s a quick breakdown of the most common commands:
Basic Scan: To identify and list all known signatures in a firmware image:
Extract Embedded Files: Automatically extract files found during the scan:
Entropy Analysis: Useful for detecting compressed or encrypted sections within the firmware:
Recursive Extraction: Extracts files recursively to dig deeper into embedded archives:
Common Use Cases
Firmware Reverse Engineering
Binwalk helps break down firmware to find vulnerabilities, such as hardcoded credentials or encryption keys.
File System Extraction
Extract embedded file systems like JFFS2, SquashFS, etc. from IoT devices.
Cryptanalysis
Identify and locate encrypted sections of firmware for further investigation.
Resources
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