Android Dynamic Binary Instrumentation (ADBI) Tool

Android Dynamic Binary Instrumentation (ADBI) Tool.

Tool for dynamically tracing Android native layer. Simple binary instrumentation toolkit for Android ARM + Thumb.

Using this tool you can insert tracepoints (and a set of corresponding handlers) dynamically into the process address space of a running Android system.

When the tracepoint is hit your custom handler (which can be written in C) is executed. You can deliver your own code through the handlers. It is possible to access process variables and memory. Host side tool written in Python communicates with the native adbiserver process (which resembles the gdb-server in its operation) and translates source level symbols into addresses within the final binaries. As of authors knowledge this is a first such tool for ARM (including ARM64) architecture.

ADBI tool was developed in Samsung Poland R&D Center located in Warsaw, Poland as a research project for new development tools and process improvement.

Sample features:
Generates function trace from Android native user space
Allows for dynamically driven trace configuration
Can measure time between instructions for profiling
Injects custom code into running process
Can modify and reimplement running native applications

Benefits:
No recompilation of debugging application is needed
Can see what exactly happens in Android native layer
Finding problem areas, tracking down strange bugs more manageable
Better system knowledge, faster product delivery


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