REALbasic (Xojo) Reverse-Engineering Helper Script

realbasic-overlay-resolve.py

# IDA REALbasic reverse engineering helper script
# It seems that every version of REALbasic (Xojo) the loader
# has a different behaviour (especially with regard to parsing
# the imports table), so I'm documenting here that this script
# was created based on a 2009r5 executable.
# marcussacam, 2024-07-26 (Port for newer IDA)
# iscgar, 2018-09-26
#
# Based on the REALbasic OVERLAY resolver
#   XpoZed @ http://nullsecurity.org, 2017-07-16
#   http://www.nullsecurity.org/article/reverse_engineering_realbasic_applications

import idaapi, idc


def get_segment_info(name):
    ea = get_first_seg()
    while ea != BADADDR:
        if name == get_segm_name(ea):
            return (ea, get_next_seg(ea))
        ea = get_next_seg(ea)

    return None


def get_runtime_table():
    text_start, text_end = get_segment_info(".text")
    rdata_start, rdata_end = get_segment_info(".rdata")
    data_start, data_end = get_segment_info(".data")

    # A reloc entry is 16 bytes long:
    #  - 4 bytes framework runtime funtion name (C string)
    #  - 4 bytes framework runtime funtion address
    #  - 8 bytes padding (support for 64-bit reloc entries?)
    def is_reloc_entry(addr):
        if not all(get_wide_byte(addr + 8 + i) == 0 for i in range(8)):
            return False

        if not rdata_end > get_wide_dword(addr) >= rdata_start:
            return False

        if not text_end > get_wide_dword(addr + 4) >= text_start:
            return False

        return True

    # Iterate the data section to find the beginning of the
    # framework reloc table
    while data_start < data_end:
        if is_reloc_entry(data_start):
            break
        data_start += 16

    table = []

    # Parse reloc entries until we hit a row that is not
    # a valid reloc entry
    while data_start < data_end:
        if not is_reloc_entry(data_start):
            break
        table += [(
            get_strlit_contents(get_wide_dword(data_start), -1, STRTYPE_C),
            get_wide_dword(data_start + 4)
        )]
        data_start += 16

    return table


def parse_overlay(table):
    # Load overlay information
    try:
        overlay_start, overlay_end = get_segment_info("OVERLAY")
    except TypeError:
        print("Failed to locate the OVERLAY segment. Did you load it?")
        return

    # Make sure we have space for the overlay magic
    if overlay_end - overlay_start < 6:
        print('OVERLAY segment too small')
        return

    # Check for overlay magic (the loader also makes sure that the overlay
    # is at the end of the file. We don't really need this).
    if b''.join(chr(get_wide_byte(overlay_start + i)) for i in range(6)) != b'112358':
        print('OVERLAY must begin with `112358`!')
        return

    overlay_start += 6

    # These are the section that are held in the overlay.
    # symbols, rsrc and options are optional and can be empty.
    sections_info = [
        (".rb_text", True),
        (".rb_data", True),
        (".rb_import", True),
        (".rb_symbols", False),
        (".rb_rsrc", False),
        (".rb_options", False)
    ]

    sections = {}
    pointer = overlay_start

    # Iterate existing sections
    for sect, required in sections_info:
        Makeget_wide_dword(pointer)
        MakeNameEx(pointer, '_%s_length' % sect[1:], SN_NOWARN)
        size = get_wide_dword(pointer)
        pointer += 4
        print("Section `%s` @ 0x%08x: 0x%08x bytes" % (
            sect, pointer - overlay_start, size))
        if required and size <= 0:
            print("Required section has no data")
        elif pointer + size > overlay_end:
            print("Section size overflows the OVERLAY section")
        else:
            sections[sect] = (pointer, size)
            if size > 0:
                MakeUnknown(pointer, size, DOUNK_SIMPLE)
                Makeget_wide_byte(pointer)
                MakeArray(pointer, size)
                MakeNameEx(pointer, '_%s' % sect[1:], SN_NOWARN)
            pointer += size
            continue
        return

    # Create the REALstring (REALtext?) type
    rbstring_rec = AddStrucEx(-1, "REALstring", 0)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "refcount", 0x00, 0x20000400, -1, 4)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "data", 0x04, 0x20500400, 0, 4)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "alloc_size", 0x08, 0x20000400, -1, 4)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "data_len", 0x0C, 0x20000400, -1, 4)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "encoding", 0x10, 0x20000400, -1, 4)
    AddStrucMember(rbstring_rec, "raw", 0x14, 0x20000400, -1, 1)

    str_idx = var_idx = 0
    import_begin, import_size = sections['.rb_import']

    while import_size > 0:
        ityp = get_wide_byte(import_begin)
        import_begin += 1
        import_size -= 1
        adjustment = 0

        # Framework runtime funtion refrence relocation
        if ityp == 1:
            reloc_type = get_wide_byte(import_begin)
            adjustment += 1
            runtime_reloc_offset = get_wide_dword(import_begin + adjustment)
            adjustment += 4
            runtime_name_len = get_wide_byte(import_begin + adjustment)
            adjustment += 1
            runtime_name = get_strlit_contents(
                import_begin + adjustment, runtime_name_len + 1, STRTYPE_C)
            adjustment += runtime_name_len + 1

            for name, addr in table:
                if name == runtime_name:
                    # For some reason the loader trampolines here until
                    # it hits a relocation with no offset
                    while True:
                        patch_addr = sections['.rb_text'][0] + runtime_reloc_offset
                        reloc_next = get_wide_dword(patch_addr)
                        if reloc_type == 1:
                            # Relative reloc
                            target_addr = (addr - (patch_addr + 4)) & 0xffffffff
                        else:
                            target_addr = addr
                        Patchget_wide_dword(patch_addr, target_addr)
                        if reloc_next == 0:
                            break
                        runtime_reloc_offset = reloc_next
                    break
            else:
                # There is runtime registration of framework funtions, so
                # we might fail to resolve the relocation. Nothing we can
                # do about it :(
                print('Runtime relocation of `%s` failed' % runtime_name)
        # Data relocation (global variables)
        elif ityp == 2:
            data_reloc_offset = get_wide_dword(import_begin)
            patch_addr = sections['.rb_text'][0] + data_reloc_offset
            target_addr = (sections['.rb_data'][0] + get_wide_dword(patch_addr)) & 0xffffffff
            Makeget_wide_dword(target_addr)
            MakeNameEx(target_addr, 'var_%04d' % var_idx, SN_NOWARN)
            Patchget_wide_dword(patch_addr, target_addr)
            adjustment += 4
            var_idx += 1
        # Code relocation (user functions)
        elif ityp == 3:
            code_reloc_offset = get_wide_dword(import_begin)
            patch_addr = sections['.rb_text'][0] + code_reloc_offset
            Patchget_wide_dword(patch_addr, (sections['.rb_text'][0] + get_wide_dword(patch_addr)) & 0xffffffff)
            adjustment += 4
        # External library relocations
        elif ityp == 4:
            proc_reloc_offset = get_wide_dword(import_begin)
            adjustment += 4
            proc_name_len = get_wide_byte(import_begin + adjustment)
            adjustment += 1
            proc_name = get_strlit_contents(
                import_begin + adjustment, proc_name_len + 1, STRTYPE_C)
            adjustment += proc_name_len + 1
            mod_name_len = get_wide_byte(import_begin + adjustment)
            adjustment += 1
            mod_name = get_strlit_contents(
                import_begin + adjustment, mod_name_len + 1, STRTYPE_C)
            adjustment += mod_name_len + 1

            # Even if added an external import to IDB it wouldn't be enough
            # because the loader does a relative fixup and trampolines here
            # here too until it hits a relocation with no offset
            print('%08x: External import %s:%s' % (
                proc_reloc_offset, mod_name, proc_name))
        # Constant import (strings)
        elif ityp == 5:
            const_reloc_offset = get_wide_dword(import_begin)
            patch_addr = sections['.rb_text'][0] + const_reloc_offset
            target_addr = (sections['.rb_data'][0] + get_wide_dword(patch_addr)) & 0xffffffff
            Patchget_wide_dword(patch_addr, target_addr)
            target_str_addr = target_addr + 20
            if get_wide_dword(target_addr + 4) == 0:
                Patchget_wide_dword(target_addr + 4, target_str_addr)
            MakeStructEx(target_addr, -1, 'REALstring')
            MakeNameEx(target_addr, 'rbstr_%04d' % str_idx, SN_NOWARN)
            idaapi.make_ascii_string(
                target_str_addr, get_wide_byte(target_str_addr) + 1, ASCSTR_PASCAL)
            MakeNameEx(target_str_addr, 'str_%04d' % str_idx, SN_NOWARN)
            adjustment += 4
            str_idx += 1
        # Shouldn't happen
        else:
            print('Unknown import type %d' % ityp)
            return

        import_begin += adjustment
        import_size -= adjustment

    MakeUnknown(sections['.rb_text'][0], sections['.rb_text'][1], DOUNK_SIMPLE)
    MakeCode(sections['.rb_text'][0])

    # The user entry funtion is located at the very beginning of the
    # overlay code section
    MakeFunction(sections['.rb_text'][0], BADADDR)
    MakeNameEx(sections['.rb_text'][0], "_main_overlay", SN_NOWARN)


def main():
    # Locate the framework runtime reloc table
    runtime_table = get_runtime_table()
    if not runtime_table:
        print("Unable to locate Framework API table")
        return

    # Resolve Framework procedures
    for name, addr in runtime_table:
        MakeNameEx(addr, name, SN_NOWARN)
    print("Procedures resolved: %d" % len(runtime_table))

    # Parse the OVERLAY
    parse_overlay(runtime_table)
    print("Done.")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()