FakePDB

Tool for PDB generation from IDA Pro database

Supports:

• IDA >= 7.4

Download

• Windows AMD64

How to install

• IDA
  • copy content of binaries.zip/ida to <IDA_directory>/plugins

How to use

There are several features in this plugin:

PDB file generation

• Open target executable in IDA
• Edit -> FakePDB -> Generate .PDB file (or Ctrl+Shift+4)
• get PDB file from the IDA database directory

The PDB can optionally include symbols for function labels: use Generate .PDB file (with function labels) (or Ctrl+Shift+5).

LIB file generation

• Open target executable in IDA
• Edit -> FakePDB -> Generate .LIB file
• get LIB file from the IDA database directory

IDA database export to .json

• Open target executable in IDA >= 7.0
• Edit -> FakePDB -> Dump info to .json (or Ctrl+Shift+1)
• it will generate filename.json near the .idb file

Binary signature search

• Open target executable in IDA >= 7.0
• Set cursor on start of the target function
• Edit -> FakePDB -> Find signature (or Ctrl+Shift+2)
• signature will be displayed in IDA console

Function names import from .json file

• Open target executable in IDA >= 7.0
• Edit -> FakePDB -> Import offset from .json (or Ctrl+Shift+3)

required file format:

{
   "function_name_1": "0001:123456",
   "function_name_2": "0001:254646",
   "function_name_X": "XXXX:YYYYYY",
   "function_name_Y": "0x0124567AF",
}

where:

• XXXX: number of the PE section
• YYYY: offset from the begining of the section in decimal numbers
• 0x0124567AF: IDA effective address

TODO

• Linux support
• GHIDRA support
• Function arguments support
• IDA 9.0: structures export

Useful links

• Disable PDB validation in WinDbg http://ntcoder.com/bab/2012/03/06/how-to-force-symbol-loading-in-windbg/
• Disable PDB validation in MSVS https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38147487/forcing-to-load-unmatched-symbols-in-visual-studio-2015-debugger

Mentions

• 2019, Google Project Zero: The story of Adobe Reader symbols
• 2021, Gerhart X.: Hyper-V debugging for beginners. 2nd edition.
• 2022, Google Cloud: Fuzzing Image Parsing in Windows, Part Four: More HEIF

Thanks

Inspired by:

• pe_debug http://pefrm-units.osdn.jp/pe_debug.html

Based on:

• LLVM project https://llvm.org/
• LLD project https://lld.llvm.org/

Also take look at:

• bao https://github.com/not-wlan/bao