Reproducibility of Firmware Analysis: An Empirical Study

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Business Modeling and Software Design (BMSD 2024)

Abstract

Firmware analysis methods are crucial for IoT security, yet their reproducibility-the ability to replicate results in subsequent research-has not been thoroughly examined. This study addresses this gap by empirically analyzing the reproducibility of three methods in two key applications of firmware analysis: third-party library identification and binary image base determination. We then evaluate the original studies on each of these methods, using two reproducibility assessment techniques, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities related to reproducibility in firmware analysis. Our findings highlight the current reproducibility status of these methods and offer guidance for improving the reliability of research in this field.

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Acknowledgment

Narges Yousefnezhad acknowledges the support of Jenny and the Antti Wihuri Foundation through the PoDoCo program (www.podoco.fi), grant number 141222. (Part of) This work was supported by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Programme, as part of the project LAZARUS (https://lazarus-he.eu/) (Grant Agreement no. 101070303). The content of this article does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the authors. (Part of this work was) Funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement Nr. 101120962, RESCALE Project). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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Yousefnezhad, N., Costin, A. (2024). Reproducibility of Firmware Analysis: An Empirical Study. In: Shishkov, B. (eds) Business Modeling and Software Design. BMSD 2024. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 523. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-64073-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-64073-5_13

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