Research and Implementation of OEP Search Based on API-monitoring

OEP (Original Entry Point) search is the first and foremost step in unpacking. At present, it lacks generic and automated OEP search method for numerous types of packers. This paper discusses general methods of OEP search and proposes an OEP search method based on API-monitoring. Then the paper presents a generic OEP search strategy based on the combination of existing methods. Empirical test shows that the new method is able to deal with most common packers and has good generality and accuracy.