Exploring ARM assembly
Most of you are probably more familiar with the x86 architecture, which implements the CISC design. So, you may be wondering, why do we need something else? The main advantage of RISC architectures is that the processors that implement them generally require fewer transistors, which eventually makes them more energy and heat-efficient and reduces the associated manufacturing costs, making them a better choice for portable devices. We have started our introduction to RISC architectures with ARM for a good reason – at the time of writing, this is the most widely used architecture in the world.
The explanation is simple – processors that implement it can be found on multiple mobile devices and appliances such as phones, video game consoles, or digital cameras, heavily outnumbering PCs. For this reason, multiple IoT malware families and mobile malware that target Android and iOS platforms have payloads for the ARM architecture; an example can be...
