Another tool with many uses is objdump, and as we'll see in this recipe, it has functionality that overlaps with other tools we've already learned and will learn about later in this chapter. Nonetheless, the primary use of this tool in many analysts' arsenal is for disassembling an object file. However, not to be outdone by readelf, we can use objdump to provide the same information about our binary, albeit output in a different format. This tool is extremely useful during the information gathering phase and the static analysis phase of the methodology we learned about in the previous chapter.

We've already seen some of the more common arguments for objdump when we worked through the recipes in the previous chapter, so as we dive into this recipe, we'll try to minimize repetition. However, some of the arguments are worth repeating as we will use them continually through our analysis tasks. We will start with arguments that help us identify information about how to use this tool; then, we will work through arguments for disassembling object files; and finally, we'll learn about arguments that present the same information as readelf, but with a different format to the output. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if or how you use objdump for your day-to-day analysis needs.