Frida Native Hooks

Frida Native Hooks

Use this skill when the target is a native function or memory behavior.

Discovery First

1. Identify process architecture and module:

   console.log(Process.arch, Process.platform, Process.pointerSize);
   for (const m of Process.enumerateModules()) console.log(m.name, m.base, m.size);
   

2. Resolve addresses through Frida APIs when possible:

   const mod = Process.getModuleByName("libtarget.so");
   const fn = mod.getExportByName("target_function");
   

3. If names are stripped, search imports/exports first, then symbols, strings, and byte patterns.
4. On ARM/Thumb, prefer addresses returned by Frida APIs so instruction-set details are handled correctly.

Hook Pattern

const target = Process.getModuleByName("libc.so").getExportByName("open");

Interceptor.attach(target, {
  onEnter(args) {
    this.path = args[0].readUtf8String();
    console.log("[open] path=", this.path);
  },
  onLeave(retval) {
    console.log("[open] fd=", retval.toInt32());
  }
});

Replacement Rules

• Use Interceptor.attach() for tracing and light argument/return mutation.
• Use Interceptor.replace() when fully replacing behavior.
• Use Interceptor.replaceFast() only for hot functions where lower overhead is required; call the original through the returned pointer.
• Wrap original functions with NativeFunction using the correct ABI, return type, and argument types.
• Call Interceptor.flush() only when a just-installed hook must be invoked immediately from the same script.

Practitioner Patterns

• Hook boundaries before internals: exported API, imported libc/crypto/TLS calls, file/network/syscall wrappers, then app-specific stripped functions.
• When names are stripped, combine static strings, imports, cross-references from a disassembler, runtime module load logs, and Stalker/caller summaries.
• Use Thread.backtrace() early to find who called a generic boundary such as open, connect, SSL_write, CCCrypt, strcmp, or memcmp.
• Use Stalker for bounded questions only: a specific thread, during a specific function call, with call/block summaries before instruction-level tracing.
• Treat anti-Frida checks as native work when they involve /proc, ptrace, loaded module scans, thread names, ports, or symbol/string scans.

Memory Safety

• Do not write a longer string into an existing buffer unless the buffer size is proven.
• Prefer allocating a new string and replacing the pointer argument.
• Keep allocated replacement strings reachable for the required lifetime:

  const keepalive = [];
  Interceptor.attach(target, {
    onEnter(args) {
      const s = Memory.allocUtf8String("replacement");
      keepalive.push(s);
      args[0] = s;
    }
  });
  

• Copy retval/argument data inside callbacks if it is needed later.

Native Investigation Checklist

• Module loaded before resolving address.
• Function signature verified from headers, decompiler, debug symbols, or observed calling convention.
• Pointer reads guarded for null and readability.
• Logs include enough context to prove the right call path.
• Mutation has a rollback path: detach, revert, restart, or remove Gadget config.

References

Read references/native-patterns.md for templates covering exports, imports, pattern scans, backtraces, replacements, and performance notes.