HALucinator
Firmware introspection using High Level Emulation
Need
Firmware vulnerabilities are a significant security concern, with 83% of businesses experiencing a firmware attack in the past two years [Microsoft].
Existing cyber-testing solutions are ineffective for vulnerability discovery and mitigation in firmware because they rely on specialized hardware and/or require intensive manual reverse-engineering and harnessing to conduct dynamic analysis of firmware at scale. The dependence on hardware increases costs and complexity while limiting the testing scope due to the risk of hardware damage.
Consequently, serious firmware vulnerabilities often go undetected, leaving embedded devices susceptible to existing and future threats.
Solution
HALucinator provides a platform for firmware analysis and emulation, enabling testing and introspection without physical hardware.
HALucinator uses High-Level Emulation (HLE) to virtualize firmware, allowing it to run entirely in software. It replaces hardware dependencies with software models for testing and analysis.
Benefits:
- Simplifies and de-risks firmware testing by eliminating the need for physical hardware
- Streamlines the development cycle by minimizing manual reverse engineering efforts, and by providing detailed, step-by-step debugging and introspection
System and Workflow
HALucinator in practice
System Features
- HALucinator supports multiple architectures and popular real-time operating systems commonly used in embedded systems, enabling comprehensive firmware emulation.
- HALucinator offers a command line interface for batch processing and a Microsoft Visual Studio Code plugin for interactive workflows, enhancing usability and flexibility.
Practical Applications and Success Stories
- HALucinator has been utilized to successfully create digital twins of various devices, allowing interaction with original device configurators and facilitating vulnerability testing. These devices range from large industrial control systems to compact IoT devices, covering diverse architectures such as ARM, PowerPC, and MIPS. Examples include PLC controllers from several popular vendors, satellite communication systems, commercial drones, and various IoT devices, with firmware sizes ranging from less than 1MB to over 50MB. HALucinator achieves execution speeds within timing toleration limits, ensuring accurate emulation for thorough testing and analysis.
Recognitions and Funding
- HALucinator has received funding and support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Sandia National Laboratories.
HALucinator for you
HALucinator is offered as both an on-premises and SaaS solution.
Our firmware analysis and emulation experts can help with initial emulation setup.
This material is based upon work supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under Contract No. N00014-21-C-1032. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s)and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ONR.
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. Approved, DCN#0543-2176-24
