ropper

List gadgets in the binary file

$ ropper --file [path/to/binary]

$ ropper --file [path/to/binary] --search [regex]

$ ropper --file [path/to/binary] --type [rop|job|sys|all]

$ ropper --file [path/to/binary] --badbytes [byte_string]

$ ropper --file [path/to/binary] --inst-count [count]

ropper [options] -f <file>
ropper [options] --file <file> [--search <gadget_string>]

-f, --file <file>
    Specifies the target binary file to analyze. This option is mandatory.

-s, --search <string>
    Searches for gadgets containing a specific instruction sequence. For example, "pop rdi; ret".

-S, --string <string>
    Searches for ASCII or wide string references within the binary.

-I, --info
    Displays detailed information about the target binary, such as architecture, OS, file type, and entry point.

-g, --gadgets
    Finds and displays all ROP gadgets within the binary. This is often the default behavior if no search string is provided.

-c, --console
    Enters an interactive console mode for dynamic analysis and gadget searching.

--badbytes <bytes>
    Specifies bytes to avoid in gadget addresses or instructions, typically in hexadecimal format (e.g., "000a0d").

--nocolor
    Disables colored output for environments that do not support ANSI escape codes or for clearer parsing.

-h, --help
    Displays the help message and exits.

ropper is a powerful tool designed to assist in Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) exploit development.
It meticulously analyzes executable files (supporting ELF, PE, and Mach-O formats) to identify and extract "gadgets".
A gadget is a short sequence of instructions typically ending with a ret instruction, which can be chained together to execute arbitrary code, bypassing exploit mitigations like Data Execution Prevention (DEP) or No-Execute (NX).
Beyond merely finding gadgets, ropper offers extensive features such as searching for specific instruction sequences or string references, displaying callable functions, and providing system call information.
It supports a wide range of architectures including x86, x86_64, ARM, ARM64, MIPS, and MIPS64, making it an indispensable asset for penetration testers and exploit developers in security research and CTF challenges.

ropper's effectiveness is contingent on the availability and quality of gadgets within the target binary.
While powerful, it is primarily a gadget-finding tool; successful ROP chain construction often requires additional understanding of program flow, memory layout, and system calls.
For position-independent executables (PIE), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) must often be bypassed separately before gadgets can be reliably used.

The --console (-c) option allows users to enter an interactive session after loading a binary. This mode provides a command-line interface to perform various searches and analyses on the loaded file without having to restart ropper for each query, significantly speeding up the analysis process.

While ropper doesn't build full ROP chains automatically, its output is highly structured and easily parsable. It provides the exact addresses and instruction sequences of found gadgets, which are essential building blocks for scripting and constructing complex ROP chains using external tools or custom scripts.

ropper emerged as a dedicated solution to streamline the previously manual and often tedious process of finding ROP gadgets.
It quickly gained traction within the cybersecurity community, especially in Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions and exploit development, due to its efficiency and multi-architecture support.
Its development has focused on providing a comprehensive, user-friendly tool for a critical aspect of modern binary exploitation.

objdump(1), readelf(1), gdb(1), pwntools (Python exploitation framework)