Standard executables tell the Windows OS loader which dynamic link libraries (DLLs) to load (e.g., kernel32.dll , user32.dll ) via the IAT. Shellcode does not have an OS loader to do this heavy lifting. It must manually locate the Process Environment Block (PEB), traverse loaded modules, and find the addresses of vital API functions (like LoadLibraryA and GetProcAddress ) at runtime. 3. Null Byte Avoidance
Donut is a highly advanced position-independent code generator. It is widely used because it can convert VBScript, JScript, .NET assemblies, and native unmanaged EXEs into shellcode.
Modern shellcode generators incorporate multiple layers of evasion to avoid detection by security products:
: For larger executables, enable compression to reduce payload size and potentially improve stealth. convert exe to shellcode
The next step is to extract the machine code from the disassembly. We can use xxd to convert the binary data to hexadecimal format.
Disable features like Stack Cookies ( /GS- ), basic runtime checks, and structured exception handling, as these introduce external function calls generated by the compiler.
For most use cases, is your best option. If you need more control, use sRDI . Direct EXE to shellcode conversion without tools is complex and often fails - consider generating raw shellcode directly with msfvenom instead. Standard executables tell the Windows OS loader which
import subprocess
I’ve been experimenting with various methods to convert executables (EXEs) into position-independent shellcode for payload development and exploit research. After trying "convert exe to shellcode" (specifically tools like msfvenom or custom extractors like Donut or PE2SHC ), here is my honest take.
Developed by hasherezade and hh86, takes a unique approach: it converts a PE file while keeping the output file still recognizable as a valid PE. The tool prepends a reflective loading stub and modifies the PE header so that execution can begin from the very first byte of the injected buffer—just like traditional shellcode. Developed by hasherezade and hh86
Follow these steps to convert an executable into shellcode using Donut. This tutorial assumes a Windows environment with administrative privileges.
void *exec = VirtualAlloc(0, sizeof(shellcode), MEM_COMMIT, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE); memcpy(exec, shellcode, sizeof(shellcode)); ((void(*)())exec)();
Donut is a popular open-source tool that generates shellcode from VBScript, JScript, EXE, and DLL files. It handles the reflective loading process automatically, creating PIC (Position Independent Code) that can be injected.