Windows User Space Emulator
A high-performance Windows process emulator that operates at the syscall level, providing full control over process execution through comprehensive hooking capabilities.
Built in C++ and powered by the Unicorn Engine.
##
> [!NOTE]
> The project is still in a very early, prototypy state. The code still needs a lot of cleanup and many features and syscalls need to be implemented. However, constant progress is being made :)
## Key Features
* __Syscall-Level Emulation__: Instead of reimplementing Windows APIs, the emulator operates at the syscall level, allowing it to leverage existing system DLLs
* __Advanced Memory Management__: Supports Windows-specific memory types including reserved, committed, built on top of Unicorn's memory management
* __Complete PE Loading__: Handles executable and DLL loading with proper memory mapping, relocations, and TLS
* __Exception Handling__: Implements Windows structured exception handling (SEH) with proper exception dispatcher and unwinding support
* __Threading Support__: Provides a scheduled (round-robin) threading model
* __State Management__: Supports both full state serialization and fast in-memory snapshots
* __Debugging Interface__: Implements GDB serial protocol for integration with common debugging tools (IDA Pro, GDB, LLDB, VS Code, ...)
Perfect for security research, malware analysis, and DRM research where fine-grained control over process execution is required.
## Building
Make sure to clone the repo including all submodules.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/momo5502/emulator.git
cd emulator
git submodule update --init --recursive
```
At the moment, the project is only compatible with 64 bit Windows, but that is being worked on: Issue 17
It requires CMake and uses CMake presets. Make sure to open an x64 Dev Cmd before running any of the commands.
### Visual Studio 2022
To generate a Visual Studio solution, execute the following command:
```bash
cmake --preset=vs2022
```
The solution will be at `build/vs2022/emulator.sln`.
### Ninja
To build the debug version using Ninja run:
```bash
cmake --workflow --preset=debug
```
You can also build the release variant:
```bash
cmake --workflow --preset=release
```
### Running Tests
CTest is used for testing.
In Visual Studio, build the `RUN_TESTS` target.
With Ninja, execute the CTest command in the ninja build folder (e.g. `build/release/`):
```bash
ctest
```
## Preview
## YouTube Overview
[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY9Q0DhodOQ)
Click here for the slides.