Generating Functionally Equivalent Programs Having Non-Isomorphic Control-Flow Graphs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to transform programs into functionally equivalent versions with radically different control-flow graphs, enhancing obfuscation by preventing CFG-based analysis.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to re-write code into functionally equivalent forms with non-isomorphic CFGs, advancing program obfuscation techniques.

Findings

Successfully generates non-isomorphic CFGs for equivalent programs.

Enhances resistance to CFG-based reverse engineering.

Maintains program functionality after transformation.

Abstract

One of the big challenges in program obfuscation consists in modifying not only the program's straight-line code (SLC) but also the program's control flow graph (CFG). Indeed, if only SLC is modified, the program's CFG can be extracted and analyzed. Usually, the CFG leaks a considerable amount of information on the program's structure. In this work we propose a method allowing to re-write a code P into a functionally equivalent code P' such that CFG{P} and CFG{P'} are radically different.