Ever wonder what an executable file looks like under the hood? Probably not unless you’re a geek but people who read blogs usually are so…
First, download and install the debugger Ollydbg. Run the program and select “attach” from the file menu. Attach to a running process like “firefox.exe”. Your screen will fill up with lots of code called assembly language. This assembly language is the actual code for the process that Ollydbg is attached to. Don’t expect to see any high level structures like FOR loops or IF statements. Compilers tranform this high level source code into assembly language when creating an executable file. The computer then reads the assembly and tranforms this into ones and zeroes.
This isn’t meant to be a tutorial by any means so I will stop here. For the geeks…google reverse engineering software and see how to step through live programs with Ollydbg. This can be interesting because you basically have complete control. You can trick software into doing anything you want…skipping passwords, changing scores, starting the girls off in strip poker with a “small” disadvantage.
I just tried explaining this to Travis today. I’m glad you posted; much better description.
This is a really quick overview. If you guys are interested let me know and I’ll get on aim one night with both of you and we can rip apart a common program. It is much easier to learn that way.