SSLEM: A Simplifier for MBA Expressions based on Semi-linear MBA Expressions and Program Synthesis

Abstract

MBA (mixed boolean and arithmetic) expressions are hard to simplify, so used for malware obfuscation to hinder analysts' diagnosis. Some MBA simplification methods with high performance have been developed, but they narrowed the target to "linear" MBA expressions, which allows efficient solutions based on logic/term-rewriting. However such restrictions are not appropriate for general forms of MBA expressions usually appearing in malware. To overcome this limitation, we introduce a "semi-linear" MBA expression, a new class of MBA expression extended from a linear MBA expression, and propose a new MBA simplifier called "SSLEM", based on a simplification idea of semi-linear MBA expressions and program synthesis