Windows C++ / Guard Pages

Author Unprotect
Platform Windows
Language C++
Technique Guard Pages

Description:

Source: https://github.com/LordNoteworthy/al-khaser/blob/master/al-khaser/AntiDebug/MemoryBreakpoints_PageGuard.cpp

Code

#include "pch.h"

#include "MemoryBreakpoints_PageGuard.h"

/*
In essence, what occurs is that we allocate a dynamic buffer and write a RET to the buffer.
We then mark the page as a guard page and push a potential return address onto the stack. Next, we jump to our page,
and if we're under a debugger, specifically OllyDBG, then we will hit the RET instruction and return to the address we pushed onto
the stack before we jumped to our page. Otherwise, a STATUS_GUARD_PAGE_VIOLATION exception will occur, and we know we're not being
debugged by OllyDBG.
*/

BOOL MemoryBreakpoints_PageGuard()
{
	UCHAR *pMem = NULL;
	SYSTEM_INFO SystemInfo = { 0 };
	DWORD OldProtect = 0;
	PVOID pAllocation = NULL; // Get the page size for the system 

	// Retrieves information about the current system.
	GetSystemInfo(&SystemInfo);

	// Allocate memory 
	pAllocation = VirtualAlloc(NULL, SystemInfo.dwPageSize, MEM_COMMIT | MEM_RESERVE, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE);
	if (pAllocation == NULL)
		return FALSE;

	// Write a ret to the buffer (opcode 0xc3)
	RtlFillMemory(pAllocation, 1, 0xC3);

	// Make the page a guard page         
	if (VirtualProtect(pAllocation, SystemInfo.dwPageSize, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE | PAGE_GUARD, &OldProtect) == 0)
		return FALSE;

	__try
	{
		((void(*)())pAllocation)(); // Exception or execution, which shall it be :D?
	}
	__except (GetExceptionCode() == STATUS_GUARD_PAGE_VIOLATION ? EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER : EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH)
	{
		VirtualFree(pAllocation, 0, MEM_RELEASE);
		return FALSE;
	}

	VirtualFree(pAllocation, 0, MEM_RELEASE);
	return TRUE;
}

Created

January 11, 2021

Last Revised

April 22, 2024