Can you find out which compiler was used to compile a program?

compiler-construction identification
Rob Wells picture Rob Wells · Mar 6, 2009 · Viewed 10.4k times · Source

Given an executable that is compiled from C to run on Solaris, is it possible to determine which compiler was used to compile the associated incomplete executable?

I can't see anything when using either the strings or the file command, and magic doesn't seem to contain anything specific.

Do compilers generally put a fingerprint in their executable output files?

cheers,

Answer

Tim Matthews picture Tim Matthews · Mar 6, 2009

Yes IDA is great for this. It uses a technology called FLIRT.

Related questions

C compiler for Windows?

I'm fine working on Linux using gcc as my C compiler but would like a Windows solution. Any ideas? I've looked at Dev-C++ from Bloodshed but looking for more options.

Read More
What does a just-in-time (JIT) compiler do?

What does a JIT compiler specifically do as opposed to a non-JIT compiler? Can someone give a succinct and easy to understand description?

Read More
how does array[100] = {0} set the entire array to 0?

How does the compiler fill values in char array[100] = {0};? What's the magic behind it? I wanted to know how internally compiler initializes.

Read More