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How to triage an unknown executable to see what it can do with Awesome Reverse Engineering

Combine capability, format, and string tools for a first look at a binary.

Authorization notice. Awesome Reverse Engineering is dual-use. Only use it on software, sites and systems you own or have explicit permission to test.

Reverse engineering. Handle the unknown executable in an isolated environment because it may be malicious.

Who it is forA security analyst who has received an unfamiliar Windows or Linux executable and needs a quick assessment before deeper work.

The problemOpening an unknown binary in a full disassembler takes time, and the first question is usually what the file is and what it does.

The outcomeA short list of identified file traits, suspicious imports or strings, and likely capabilities.

What you need first

  • A computer where you can install analysis tools, or a browser for web-based tools
  • A target to study, such as a sample binary you are authorized to analyze or a course lab
  • For malware or sandbox work: an isolated, disposable virtual machine and your organization's handling procedures
  • For the Electron triage tool: Node.js 22.12 or later, as the README states

Steps

  1. Identify the file type, compiler, and packer with Detect It Easy at https://github.com/horsicq/Detect-It-Easy.
  2. Open the headers, sections, and imports in PE-bear at https://github.com/hasherezade/pe-bear for a first look.
  3. Recover obfuscated strings with FLOSS at https://github.com/mandiant/flare-floss.
  4. Run capa at https://github.com/mandiant/capa to list the capabilities its rules detect.
  5. For ELF files, check mitigation flags with checksec at https://github.com/slimm609/checksec and treat them as context, not a verdict.

Prompt for your agent

Using the morluto/awesome-reverse-engineering list, select the triage tools from its File identification and triage section that fit a Windows PE file. Run or describe the steps for <target-file> and report the file type, notable imports, and capabilities. Verify that the report states that checksec flags are not a vulnerability verdict if you include ELF checks.

Caveat. The list does not give install commands for these tools, so you must follow each project's own setup instructions.

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