PEBIL: Efficient Static Binary Instrumentation for Linux
Michael A. Laurenzano, Mustafa M. Tikir, et al.
Proceedings of the ISPASS, 2010.
-
PEBIL is a static instrumentation toolkit that relocates entire functions to ensure space for 5-byte branch instructions at any point. While it supports instruction-level modification, it primarily targets 'Basic Blocks' as a strategic trade-off to minimize code expansion and maximize efficiency through lightweight assembly snippets and inlining.
-
In my view
PEBIL enables instruction-level modification by relocating entire functions; however, this aggressive relocation makes it more suitable for static instrumentation rather than dynamic interception -
Limitations
-
Complexity in Resolving Indirect Branch Targets Static analysis struggles to determine the destination of indirect branches without runtime information.
-
Disruption of Compiler Optimizations Relocating and expanding code destroys original alignment and size optimizations made by the compiler
-
Challenges in Code and Data Discovery To distinguish code from intertwined data (like jump tables), PEBIL employs a sophisticated two-phase approach: Control-driven disassembly and Linear Disassembly, but 1% of the code remains unresolvable.
-
