Nicolò Altamura
Nicolò Altamura is a final-year MSc student in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Verona. He specializes in reverse engineering, static analysis, and software security, creating tools like disassemblers, decompilers, and obfuscation frameworks. Through his blog and open-source projects, he explores advanced topics ranging from Mixed Boolean-Arithmetic transformations to malware detection heuristics. Drawing on both academic research and hands-on experience, he aims to bridge theory and practice in the field of software protection.
Session
From gaming anti-cheat and DRM solutions to malware, Mixed Boolean-Arithmetic (MBA) obfuscation hides critical computations behind intricate Boolean and arithmetic transformations. In this talk, we demystify how these transformations are constructed and why they turn even simple code into a reverse-engineering nightmare. We then examine recent breakthroughs in algebraic and synthesis-based methods—--like QSynthesis, msynth, and Goomba---revealing both their strengths and shortcomings for real-world deobfuscation scenarios. Next, we introduce a new Binary Ninja plugin that uses a combination of SSA-based slicing & synthesis to systematically simplify MBA computations, showcasing its reliability and effectiveness in real-world protection scenarios. Finally, we discuss the future of MBA research, highlighting how these emerging techniques continue to dismantle once-impenetrable defenses.