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https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra

Ghidra is a software reverse engineering (SRE) framework
https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra

disassembler reverse-engineering software-analysis

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Ghidra is a software reverse engineering (SRE) framework

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README 

        



# Ghidra Software Reverse Engineering Framework



Ghidra is a software reverse engineering (SRE) framework created and maintained by the 

[National Security Agency][nsa] Research Directorate. This framework includes a suite of 

full-featured, high-end software analysis tools that enable users to analyze compiled code on a 

variety of platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Capabilities include disassembly, 

assembly, decompilation, graphing, and scripting, along with hundreds of other features. Ghidra 

supports a wide variety of processor instruction sets and executable formats and can be run in both 

user-interactive and automated modes. Users may also develop their own Ghidra extension components 

and/or scripts using Java or Python.



In support of NSA's Cybersecurity mission, Ghidra was built to solve scaling and teaming problems 

on complex SRE efforts, and to provide a customizable and extensible SRE research platform. NSA has 

applied Ghidra SRE capabilities to a variety of problems that involve analyzing malicious code and 

generating deep insights for SRE analysts who seek a better understanding of potential 

vulnerabilities in networks and systems.



If you are a U.S. citizen interested in projects like this, to develop Ghidra and other 

cybersecurity tools for NSA to help protect our nation and its allies, consider applying for a 

[career with us][career].



## Security Warning



**WARNING:** There are known security vulnerabilities within certain versions of Ghidra.  Before 

proceeding, please read through Ghidra's [Security Advisories][security] for a better understanding 

of how you might be impacted.



## Install

To install an official pre-built multi-platform Ghidra release:  

* Install [JDK 21 64-bit][jdk]

* Download a Ghidra [release file][releases]

  - **NOTE:** The official multi-platform release file is named 

    `ghidra___.zip` which can be found under the "Assets" drop-down.

    Downloading either of the files named "Source Code" is not correct for this step.

* Extract the Ghidra release file

* Launch Ghidra: `./ghidraRun` (or `ghidraRun.bat` for Windows)



For additional information and troubleshooting tips about installing and running a Ghidra release, 

please refer to `docs/InstallationGuide.html` which can be found in your extracted Ghidra release 

directory. 



## Build



To create the latest development build for your platform from this source repository:



##### Install build tools:

* [JDK 21 64-bit][jdk]

* [Gradle 8.5+][gradle] (or provided Gradle wrapper if Internet connection is available)

* [Python3][python3] (version 3.7 to 3.12) with bundled pip

* make, gcc, and g++ (Linux/macOS-only)

* [Microsoft Visual Studio][vs] 2017+ or [Microsoft C++ Build Tools][vcbuildtools] with the

  following components installed (Windows-only):

  - MSVC

  - Windows SDK

  - C++ ATL



##### Download and extract the source:

[Download from GitHub][master]

```

unzip ghidra-master

cd ghidra-master

```

**NOTE:** Instead of downloading the compressed source, you may instead want to clone the GitHub 

repository: `git clone https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra.git`



##### Download additional build dependencies into source repository:

**NOTE:** If an Internet connection is available and you did not install Gradle, the following 

`gradle` commands may be replaced with `./gradle(.bat)`.

```

gradle -I gradle/support/fetchDependencies.gradle

```



##### Create development build: 

```

gradle buildGhidra

```

The compressed development build will be located at `build/dist/`.



For more detailed information on building Ghidra, please read the [Developer Guide][devguide].



For issues building, please check the [Known Issues][known-issues] section for possible solutions.



## Develop



### User Scripts and Extensions

Ghidra installations support users writing custom scripts and extensions via the *GhidraDev* plugin 

for Eclipse.  The plugin and its corresponding instructions can be found within a Ghidra release at

`Extensions/Eclipse/GhidraDev/` or at [this link][ghidradev].



**NOTE:** The *GhidraDev* plugin for Eclipse only supports developing against fully built

Ghidra installations which can be downloaded from the [Releases][releases] page.



### Advanced Development

To develop the Ghidra tool itself, it is highly recommended to use Eclipse, which the Ghidra 

development process has been highly customized for.



##### Install build and development tools:

* Follow the above [build instructions](#build) so the build completes without errors

* Install [Eclipse IDE for Java Developers][eclipse]



##### Prepare the development environment:

``` 

gradle prepdev eclipse buildNatives

```



##### Import Ghidra projects into Eclipse:

* *File* -> *Import...*

* *General* | *Existing Projects into Workspace*

* Select root directory to be your downloaded or cloned ghidra source repository

* Check *Search for nested projects*

* Click *Finish*



When Eclipse finishes building the projects, Ghidra can be launched and debugged with the provided

**Ghidra** Eclipse *run configuration*.



For more detailed information on developing Ghidra, please read the [Developer Guide][devguide]. 



## Contribute

If you would like to contribute bug fixes, improvements, and new features back to Ghidra, please 

take a look at our [Contributor Guide][contrib] to see how you can participate in this open 

source project.



[nsa]: https://www.nsa.gov

[contrib]: CONTRIBUTING.md

[devguide]: DevGuide.md

[known-issues]: DevGuide.md#known-issues

[career]: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nsa

[releases]: https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/releases

[jdk]: https://adoptium.net/temurin/releases

[gradle]: https://gradle.org/releases/

[python3]: https://www.python.org/downloads/

[vs]: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/

[vcbuildtools]: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/

[eclipse]: https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/

[master]: https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/archive/refs/heads/master.zip

[security]: https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories

[ghidradev]: https://htmlpreview.github.io/?https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/blob/master/GhidraBuild/EclipsePlugins/GhidraDev/GhidraDevPlugin/GhidraDev_README.html