Gdb cheat sheet

• Showing source code

(gdb) list
1	void f()
2	{
3		printf("How did you do that?\n");
4	}
5	int main()
6	{
7		char name[10];
8		scanf("%s", name);
9		printf("Hello %s\n", name);
10		return 0;

• Showing source code after previous list

(gdb) list
11	}

• Breaking on a function

(gdb) b main
Breakpoint 1 at 0x80484c9: file ret.c, line 8.

• Breaking on a specific line

(gdb) b ret.c:10
Breakpoint 2 at 0x80484f1: file ret.c, line 10.

• Breaking on a code address

(gdb) b *0x80484f1
Breakpoint 3 at 0x80484f1: file ret.c, line 10.

• Deleting all breakpoints

(gdb) delete
Delete all breakpoints? (y or n) y

• Viewing all breakpoints

(gdb) info breakpoints 
Num     Type           Disp Enb Address    What
4       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484f1 in main at ret.c:10

• Deleting a specific breakpoint

(gdb) info break
Num     Type           Disp Enb Address    What
4       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484f1 in main at ret.c:10
5       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484c9 in main at ret.c:7
6       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484c9 in main at ret.c:8
(gdb) delete 5
(gdb) info break
Num     Type           Disp Enb Address    What
4       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484f1 in main at ret.c:10
6       breakpoint     keep y   0x080484c9 in main at ret.c:8

• Starting the executable

(gdb) run
Starting program: /tmp/example/ret 
 
warning: Could not load shared library symbols for linux-gate.so.1.
Do you need "set solib-search-path" or "set sysroot"?
 
Breakpoint 6, main () at ret.c:8
8		scanf("%s", name);
(gdb) list main
1	void f()
2	{
3		printf("How did you do that?\n");
4	}
5	int main()
6	{
7		char name[10];
8		scanf("%s", name);
9		printf("Hello %s\n", name);
10		return 0;

• Running with specific arguments

(gdb) run A B C
Starting program: /tmp/example/ret A B C

• Running with input from a file

(gdb) run < /path/to_file
Starting program: /tmp/example/ret < /path/to_file

• Printing contents

(gdb) print name
$2 = "AAAAAAAAAA"

• Printing address

(gdb) print &name
$4 = (char (*)[10]) 0xffffcd46

• Setting a variable (array)

(gdb) set var *name = 0x0
(gdb) print name
$3 = "\000AAAAAAAAA"
(gdb) set var name[4]='C'
(gdb) print name
$6 = "\000AAACAAAAA"

• Setting a variable (non-array) and register

Breakpoint 1, main () at ret.c:9
9		scanf("%s", name);
(gdb) next
test
10		len = strlen(name);
(gdb) print len
$1 = -134635948
(gdb) next
11		printf("Hello %s\n", name);
(gdb) print len
$2 = 4
(gdb) set var len = 42
(gdb) print len
$3 = 42
(gdb) set $eax 2

• Running until next breakpoint: 'continue'
• Running until return of current function 'finish'
• Stepping to the next line in source code: 'step'
• Stepping to the next line in source code without entering functions: 'next'
• Equivalents for stepping to the next line of assembly code: 'stepi' and 'nexti'

(gdb) list
1	void f()
2	{
3		int  var2 = 5;
4		printf("How did you do that?\n");
5	}
6	int main()
7	{
8		int len = 0;
9		char name[10];
10		scanf("%s", name);
(gdb) 
11		len = strlen(name);
12		printf("Hello %s\n", name);
13		f();
14		return 0;
15	}
(gdb) bt
#0  f () at ret.c:3
#1  0x08048545 in main () at ret.c:13
(gdb) info locals
var2 = 0
(gdb) up
#1  0x08048545 in main () at ret.c:13
13		f();
(gdb) info locals
len = 6
name = "test34\000\205\004\b"
(gdb) frame
#1  0x08048545 in main () at ret.c:13
13		f();
(gdb) down
#0  f () at ret.c:3
3		int  var2 = 5;
(gdb) frame
#0  f () at ret.c:3
3		int  var2 = 5;
(gdb)

• Seeing current local variable values

(gdb) info locals
len = 42
name = "test\000\000K\205\004\b"

• Seeing current register values

(gdb) info registers 
eax            0x4	4
ecx            0x2	2
edx            0x4	4
ebx            0xf7f99e54	-134635948
esp            0xffffcd30	0xffffcd30
ebp            0xffffcd58	0xffffcd58
esi            0x0	0
edi            0x0	0
eip            0x804851d	0x804851d <main+45>
eflags         0x202	[ IF ]
cs             0x23	35
ss             0x2b	43
ds             0x2b	43
es             0x2b	43
fs             0x0	0
gs             0x63	99

• Seeing current frame information

(gdb) info frame 
Stack level 0, frame at 0xffffcd60:
 eip = 0x804851d in main (ret.c:11); saved eip 0xf7e0fce5
 source language c.
 Arglist at 0xffffcd58, args: 
 Locals at 0xffffcd58, Previous frame's sp is 0xffffcd60
 Saved registers:
  ebp at 0xffffcd58, eip at 0xffffcd5c

• Seeing current address space layout

(gdb) info proc mappings 
process 28754
Mapped address spaces:
 
	Start Addr   End Addr       Size     Offset objfile
	 0x8048000  0x8049000     0x1000        0x0 /tmp/example/ret
	 0x8049000  0x804a000     0x1000        0x0 /tmp/example/ret
	 0x804a000  0x804b000     0x1000     0x1000 /tmp/example/ret
	0xf7df2000 0xf7df3000     0x1000        0x0 
	0xf7df3000 0xf7f98000   0x1a5000        0x0 /lib32/libc-2.17.so
	0xf7f98000 0xf7f9a000     0x2000   0x1a5000 /lib32/libc-2.17.so
	0xf7f9a000 0xf7f9b000     0x1000   0x1a7000 /lib32/libc-2.17.so
	0xf7f9b000 0xf7f9e000     0x3000        0x0 
	0xf7fd9000 0xf7fdb000     0x2000        0x0 
	0xf7fdb000 0xf7fdc000     0x1000        0x0 [vdso]
	0xf7fdc000 0xf7ffc000    0x20000        0x0 /lib32/ld-2.17.so
	0xf7ffc000 0xf7ffd000     0x1000    0x1f000 /lib32/ld-2.17.so
	0xf7ffd000 0xf7ffe000     0x1000    0x20000 /lib32/ld-2.17.so
	0xfffdc000 0xffffe000    0x22000        0x0 [stack]

• Searching for strings in memory: 'x /15s 0xffffcd42' (searches for 15 strings from that address onwards)

(gdb) list
5	int main()
6	{
7		int len;
8		char name[10]="bla1";
9		char name1[10]="bla2";
10		char name2[10]="bla3";
 
(gdb) x /15s &name2
0xffffcd2e:	"bla3"
0xffffcd33:	""
0xffffcd34:	""
0xffffcd35:	""
0xffffcd36:	""
0xffffcd37:	""
0xffffcd38:	"bla2"
0xffffcd3d:	""
0xffffcd3e:	""
0xffffcd3f:	""
0xffffcd40:	""
0xffffcd41:	""
0xffffcd42:	"hau"
0xffffcd46:	""
0xffffcd47:	""

• Displaying instructions from an address onwards, in this case the address of the current program counter

(gdb) x /10i $pc
=> 0x8048552 <main+98>:	lea    0x32(%esp),%eax
   0x8048556 <main+102>:	mov    %eax,(%esp)
   0x8048559 <main+105>:	call   0x80483c0 <strlen@plt>
   0x804855e <main+110>:	mov    %eax,0x3c(%esp)
   0x8048562 <main+114>:	lea    0x32(%esp),%eax
   0x8048566 <main+118>:	mov    %eax,0x4(%esp)
   0x804856a <main+122>:	movl   $0x8048628,(%esp)
   0x8048571 <main+129>:	call   0x8048380 <printf@plt>
   0x8048576 <main+134>:	mov    $0x0,%eax
   0x804857b <main+139>:	leave  

• Dump memory to a file (e.g. for unpacking)

(gdb) dump binary memory dump.raw 0x00800000 0x01000000