ghidra VS nitter

[1] https://github.com/boricj/ghidra/tree/feature/elfrelocatebleobjectexporter

I've been working on a specific reverse-engineering technique called _unlinking_ [1] on-and-off for the past 16 months or so. I'm on my third prototype (first a set of Ghidra scripts written in Jython [2], then a fork of Ghidra [3] and now a Ghidra extension [4]) and I've started a blog in order to document it [5], which side-tracked into writing a whole series of articles on reverse-engineering to introduce the topic.

What for, you may ask? Basically I'm trying to decompile a PlayStation 1 video game and I've quickly decided that dealing alone with multiple +500 KiB executables of complete utter spaghetti code wasn't going to work. Instead, I've decided that I'd rather divide-and-conquer the problem, so I've been tooling up to split executables into relocatable object files, in order to decompile those one at a time and _Ship of Theseus_-style my way to success.

Ironically, all of that stuff is so not done that I don't even know what meaningful feedback there could be. My prototypes do work, but only for 32 bit little endian statically-linked MIPS executables. The articles on my blog are draft-quality. As for the decompilation project itself that started all of this, it hasn't seen much progress due to all of those side-quests. The overall topic is so esoteric that so far I've only managed to hear about one group of two persons that tried to do anything remotely similar and one another anecdotal account [6] that this particular skill is very uncommon among reverse engineers.

Personally, I'm starting to think that maybe I could've actually reverse-engineered and decompiled the game in the time I took to get here. I've also tried to engage with Ghidra to upstream the foundations of my modifications in my fork, but after some back-and-forth it became clear that my prototype-grade stuff wasn't industrial-grade and couldn't be merged in its current state, which is why I'm currently reworking the code in my fork as a Ghidra extension.

To those that want to provide feedback after reading all of this: beware, I've had a lot of fun going down that rabbit hole, but this is one hell of a time sink _and_ a particularly tricky mind-bender.

[1] I don't actually _know_ what's the actual name for this technique, given that there are so few resources on it out there. I do know I didn't invent it.

[2] https://github.com/boricj/ghidra-unlinker-scripts

[3] https://github.com/boricj/ghidra/tree/feature/elfrelocateble...

[4] https://github.com/boricj/ghidra-unlinker-extension

[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36575081#36590078

[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35729232&p=3#35740761

- The relocation synthesizer for MIPS: https://github.com/boricj/ghidra/blob/feature/elfrelocateble...

  - The Ghidra analyzer that leverages this synthesizer: https://github.com/boricj/ghidra/blob/feature/elfrelocatebleobjectexporter/Ghidra/Features/Delinker/src/main/java/ghidra/app/analyzers/RelocationTableSynthesizerAnalyzer.java

Don't use Youtube without going through a proxy like Invidious [1] or Newpipe

Don't use {site} Search without going through a proxy like SearxNG [2]

Don't use TwiXXer without going through a proxy like Nitter - this has gotten more difficult lately but it still works as long as you feed the daemon some registered accounts. Video does not work at the moment but that seems to be fixable.

Don't use Reddit without going through a proxy like libreddit [4]

Start noticing the pattern? Maybe it is time to start producing promotional posters:

The only thing to come between you and ADS could be a proxy / ADS. I'ts just not worth the risk

ADS / New rules for a sane net / Sane net protects you, your partner and your community

A proxy here and a filter there, ADS nowhere

The more you tighten your grip, ${site}, the more viewers will slip through your fingers

[1] https://github.com/iv-org/invidious

[2] https://github.com/searxng/searxng

[3] https://github.com/zedeus/nitter

[4] https://github.com/libreddit/libreddit

https://nitter.esmailelbob.xyz/liuzhuang1234/status/17601959...

(bit of trial and error from https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/wiki/Instances)

I assume this is why Nitter got slammed and is on the verge of breaking.

https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/issues/1154

The creator of the project left this comment an hour ago:

https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/issues/1155#issuecomment-19...

(HN removed the deep link to the specific comment from the title)

Most of the time you can just replace twitter.com with nitter.net or nitter.it but when these instances are down or blocked you can use other instances listed here: https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/wiki/Instances

But as the other commenter said Libredirect is the way to go: https://libredirect.github.io/

Use a Youtube proxy like Invidious [1], problem solved and you get to subscribe to channels without telling the Beast about your interests. Add Sponsorblock (which supports Invidious) to get rid of any in-stream advertising which remains and you'll be transported back to those hallowed times of yore when men were men, women were women and advertising was something you found in newspapers. Youtube will try to make this harder just like Xitter is trying to make it harder to use proxies like Nitter [2].

[1] https://github.com/iv-org/invidious

[2] https://github.com/zedeus/nitter

njal.la restored nitter.net, and replied with their reasons: https://github.com/zedeus/nitter/issues/1150#issuecomment-18...

tbh I can totally understand why they acted this way.