Google makes code research tool BinDiff available for free

Google makes the program code comparison tool BinDiff available to everyone for free. The tool can easily outline code and detect differences and similarities between two sets of code. The program is interesting for programmers, but also for security researchers.

Christian Blichmann from Google says that the tool was previously reduced in price, but is now free to use for everyone. However, at the bottom of that blog post, the Google employee does state that using BinDiff requires the Hex-Rays IDA Pro disassembler. A license of this will cost the user at least 1019 euros.

BinDiff can be used to compare the compositions of binaries in, among others, x86, mips, ARM and Powerpc architectures. BinDiff is also used to understand software updates from others. Google itself says it also uses the software to perform malware detection on a large scale for both its own employees and its users. BinDiff developer Zynamics has been owned by Google since 2011.