iOS Protobuf Extractor

Youtube video- https://youtu.be/UUlRE52gdwQ?si=0sWMOi35JoyzSeza

Advanced Python tool for extracting Protocol Buffer (protobuf) schemas, message definitions, and API structures from iOS IPA applications.

Perfect for reverse engineering, security research, API analysis, and mobile app development research.

🚀 Features

✅ Extract .proto files from iOS app bundles
✅ Analyze compiled protobuf files (.pb format)
✅ Advanced binary string analysis for protobuf patterns
✅ Automatic .proto file reconstruction with message definitions
✅ Framework and library analysis for embedded protobufs
✅ Protobuf descriptor search and extraction
✅ Support for all iOS applications using Protocol Buffers
✅ Comprehensive reporting with detailed analysis results
✅ Multi-format output (JSON, text, reconstructed .proto files)

🛠️ Installation

Prerequisites

Python 3.6 or higher
Required Python packages (install automatically)

Quick Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/riyadmondol2006/iOS-Protobuf-Extractor.git
cd iOS-Protobuf-Extractor

# Install dependencies
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

# Make executable
chmod +x ios_protobuf_extractor.py

Manual Installation

# Install required packages manually
pip3 install zipfile36 pathlib

📱 Usage

Basic Usage

# Extract from IPA file to current directory
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py app.ipa

# Extract to specific output directory
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py app.ipa ./output_folder/

# Show help
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py --help

Advanced Usage

# Verbose mode with detailed logging
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py -v app.ipa ./results/

# Extract only specific analysis types
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py --strings-only app.ipa

# Custom output format
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py --format json app.ipa

📊 Analysis Methods

The tool employs multiple extraction techniques:

1. Direct .proto File Search

Scans for .proto files within the IPA bundle
Extracts human-readable protobuf definitions

2. Compiled Protobuf Analysis

Identifies .pb files (compiled protobuf)
Attempts to decompile back to .proto format

3. Binary String Analysis

Searches binary files for protobuf-related strings
Identifies message names, field names, and service definitions
Reconstructs potential API structures

4. Framework Analysis

Scans embedded frameworks for protobuf usage
Analyzes dynamic libraries and frameworks

5. Descriptor Search

Locates protobuf descriptor signatures in binaries
Extracts compiled message descriptors

📁 Output Structure

output_folder/
├── README.txt                    # Analysis summary
├── extraction_summary.json       # Detailed results in JSON
├── proto_files/                  # Direct .proto files found
├── compiled_protobufs/          # Compiled .pb files
├── binary_analysis/             # Binary analysis results
│   └── descriptor_*.desc        # Extracted descriptors
└── strings_analysis/            # String analysis results
    ├── protobuf_strings.txt     # All protobuf-related strings
    └── reconstructed_proto.proto # Reconstructed protobuf definitions

🎯 Common Use Cases

Security Research

# Analyze popular apps for API structures
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py instagram.ipa ./instagram_analysis/
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py whatsapp.ipa ./whatsapp_analysis/

API Reverse Engineering

# Extract API definitions for integration
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py banking_app.ipa ./api_analysis/

Development Research

# Study protobuf implementation patterns
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py various_apps.ipa ./research/

🔍 Example Output

IPA Protobuf Extraction Report
========================================
IPA File: TikTok.ipa
Output Directory: tiktok_analysis
Total Files Found: 127

Results by Method:
--------------------
direct_proto_files: 12 files
compiled_protobuf_files: 8 files
strings_analysis: 45 message types found
framework_analysis: 3 frameworks analyzed
descriptor_search: 15 descriptors extracted

Key Findings:
- User profile management API
- Video upload/streaming protocols
- Chat and messaging system
- Content recommendation engine
- Authentication and security protocols

🛡️ Applications

🔐 Security Research

API vulnerability assessment
Protocol analysis for security flaws
Authentication mechanism research

📱 Mobile Development

Understanding app architecture
API integration research
Performance optimization studies

🔍 Reverse Engineering

App functionality analysis
Feature implementation study
Competitive analysis

🧪 Academic Research

Mobile protocol analysis
App behavior studies
Security research projects

⚠️ Legal Notice

This tool is intended for:

✅ Educational purposes
✅ Security research on apps you own
✅ Academic research
✅ Legitimate reverse engineering

Always ensure you have proper authorization before analyzing applications.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: "No protobuf data found"

# Try with verbose mode to see detailed analysis
python3 ios_protobuf_extractor.py -v app.ipa

Issue: "Invalid IPA file"

# Verify IPA file integrity
unzip -t app.ipa

Issue: "Permission denied"

# Fix file permissions
chmod +x ios_protobuf_extractor.py

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

Check the verbose output with -v flag
Verify Python version (3.6+ required)
Ensure all dependencies are installed
Contact support (details below)

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Submit a pull request

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/riyadmondol2006/iOS-Protobuf-Extractor.git
cd iOS-Protobuf-Extractor
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

👨‍💻 Author

Riyad Mondol - iOS Security Researcher & Reverse Engineer

For inquiries, support, or project quotes:

Email: riyadmondol2006@gmail.com
YouTube: Reversesio
Blog: reversesio.com
Project Quotes: reversesio.shop
Telegram: @riyadmondol2006

🚀 Available for Projects

I'm available for custom reverse engineering projects and consultations:

📱 iOS app analysis and reverse engineering
🔐 Mobile security assessments
🛠️ Custom tool development
📊 API analysis and documentation
🎓 Training and workshops

Feel free to reach out for any project opportunities!

⭐ Support

If this tool helped you, please:

⭐ Star this repository
🐛 Report bugs or request features
📢 Share with the community
💬 Follow me on social media

Happy Reverse Engineering! 🕵️‍♂️

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README.md		README.md
ios_protobuf_extractor.py		ios_protobuf_extractor.py
license.md		license.md
requirements.txt		requirements.txt

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riyadmondol2006/iOS-Protobuf-Extractor

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