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Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

skype-open-source.blogspot.com

61–70 of 145 posts

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#61
post #44

I wouldn't venture to say this doesn't belong on HN since it really is interesting (if it was actually done correctly), but the files available for download are most likely illegal, were most likely created with pirated tools (IDA Pro/Hex-Rays, and yes, as a customer of theirs for over a dozen years I've reported it), and of course, the usual vilification of reverse engineering. If you're reading this on a desktop or…

While you are correct about this particular instance of RE, I want to just take this opportunity to remind you that hands-on black-box RE is the technique used to create many of the drivers you see in Linux and BSD. Prior to AMD and Intel releasing video card documentation, every video card supported through community drivers was usually best-understood through RE experiments.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#62
post #44

I wouldn't venture to say this doesn't belong on HN since it really is interesting (if it was actually done correctly), but the files available for download are most likely illegal, were most likely created with pirated tools (IDA Pro/Hex-Rays, and yes, as a customer of theirs for over a dozen years I've reported it), and of course, the usual vilification of reverse engineering. If you're reading this on a desktop or…

Also, for 1) this is not original binaries. This is obfuscation and anti-debug features removed.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#63
post #43

aside from the awesome technical exersize in hacking, i don't see this as any net benefit for VOIP. the time would have been much better spent working on the GNU VOIP client, not only would improvements have been usable without legal issues, they would be there in an (ostensibly, perhaps) understandable format - working code.

They could reverse engineer and document the firewall/nat negotiation bit, which could then be incorporated into the GNU client.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#64
post #63
post #43

aside from the awesome technical exersize in hacking, i don't see this as any net benefit for VOIP. the time would have been much better spent working on the GNU VOIP client, not only would improvements have been usable without legal issues, they would be there in an (ostensibly, perhaps) understandable format - working code.

They could reverse engineer and document the firewall/nat negotiation bit, which could then be incorporated into the GNU client.

annoying and tedious that sort of code is, i agree, but not impossible?

besides, i was under the impression that audio/video chats went through skype servers? (i've never actually checked though)

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#65
post #44

I wouldn't venture to say this doesn't belong on HN since it really is interesting (if it was actually done correctly), but the files available for download are most likely illegal, were most likely created with pirated tools (IDA Pro/Hex-Rays, and yes, as a customer of theirs for over a dozen years I've reported it), and of course, the usual vilification of reverse engineering. If you're reading this on a desktop or…

Also, for 1) this is not original binaries. This is obfuscation and anti-debug features removed.

This does not change the legal status much. It is derived work (at best.)

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#66
post #64
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could reverse engineer and document the firewall/nat negotiation bit, which could then be incorporated into the GNU client.

annoying and tedious that sort of code is, i agree, but not impossible? besides, i was under the impression that audio/video chats went through skype servers? (i've never actually checked though)

Firewall negotiation uses the p2p aspect of Skype. It either goes through a regular peer or a super node, IIRC.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#67
post #54
post #44

I wouldn't venture to say this doesn't belong on HN since it really is interesting (if it was actually done correctly), but the files available for download are most likely illegal, were most likely created with pirated tools (IDA Pro/Hex-Rays, and yes, as a customer of theirs for over a dozen years I've reported it), and of course, the usual vilification of reverse engineering. If you're reading this on a desktop or…

Why do you assume the tools are pirated?

The older IDA Pro 5.0 is licensed as freeware, free for non-commercial use.

http://www.hex-rays.com/idapro/idadown.htm

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#68
post #49
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL, but might the DMCA exemption on reverse engineering for program-to-program interoperability possibly apply in the US?[1] Of course I have NFI what country the skype-open-source poster is in. FWIW the blog host (blogspot) is obviously in the US, the depositfiles.com file host has DNS registered in Seychelles but seemingly resolves to a US server... [1] http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID210

(Follow up: JCR's comment seems to make it clear that's what is being distributed here doesn't constitute reverse engineering in the legal sense. I hadn't actually looked at the files. Ah well.)

And what are jcr's credentials? Not everyone that posts on HN is an expert or should be assumed to understand their subject matter.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#69
post #67
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you assume the tools are pirated?

The older IDA Pro 5.0 is licensed as freeware, free for non-commercial use. http://www.hex-rays.com/idapro/idadown.htm

Yes, but the Hex-Rays decompiler is not. I can't touch the files, so I can't tell you what version was used, but in the comments here, there is a claim that the supposed source code is Hex-Rays output.

Re: Skype protocol reverse engineered, source available

#70
post #54
post #44

I wouldn't venture to say this doesn't belong on HN since it really is interesting (if it was actually done correctly), but the files available for download are most likely illegal, were most likely created with pirated tools (IDA Pro/Hex-Rays, and yes, as a customer of theirs for over a dozen years I've reported it), and of course, the usual vilification of reverse engineering. If you're reading this on a desktop or…

Why do you assume the tools are pirated?

I think you actually want two answers, the question you asked and "why report it?"

The IDA Pro disassembler and the Hex-Rays decompiler are not only very expensive tools, but they are very difficult to purchase. Due to constant problems with piracy, these days they will only sell their products to three areas; (1) governments/law enforcement, (2) very well established corporations (typically well known security research people), (3) very well established university researchers.

Typically, they refuse to sell to individuals, but there is a fourth class of customers who are individuals; very old customers like me who have a perfect track record of maintaining possession of their copy of the software.

Every copy of the software is custom compiled and watermarked so it is traceable to a particular person. Every database created by the software is also watermarked, so when someone who is not a licensed customer publishes a database (.idb), the software can be traced and the account will be terminated (i.e. no further purchases allowed).

When someone does something blatantly stupid like disassembling and decompiling skype then publicly making all of the files available, it is fairly certain that they are using a illegal copy of the software. They do not understand what they're doing. They do not understand the tool they are using. And they don't have any respect for either the tool or the work of others. --All of this loudly screams PIRATE!

The pirates either don't know about or don't care about the watermarks in the databases they create. They don't realize that publishing a database is discouraged. I've never heard of a case where a database watermark was successfully forged (i.e. pin the blame on someone else), but a cracker named "Quine" once successfully removed the watermarking in IDA back in the late 90's.

The "correct" method to publicly share the research work done in IDA is to dump the database to an IDC script (an internal language), then provide the IDC script and the target binary. Customers know this, or at least they should. With that said, friends do toss databases back and forth on occasion, but that's a matter of trust between friends where both of them are customers. Some people in the InfoSec and AntiVirus crowds exchange databases, even across competing corporate lines since they're all working together towards the same goal and they've known each other for years.

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