MinHook-rs

A Rust implementation of the MinHook library for Windows x64 function hooking.

Features

• Precise instruction decoder - Custom x64 disassembler optimized for hook creation
• Thread-safe operations - All APIs are thread-safe with proper synchronization
• Memory efficient - Minimal memory footprint with optimized data structures
• Comprehensive error handling - Detailed error reporting for all edge cases
• Production ready - Extensively tested with multiple hook scenarios
• Zero-copy design - Efficient instruction processing without unnecessary allocations

Quick Start

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]

min_hook_rs = "1.2.0"

windows-sys = { version = "0.60", features = ["Win32_UI_WindowsAndMessaging"] }

Basic usage:

use min_hook_rs::*;
use std::ffi::c_void;
use std::ptr;

// Define original function type
type MessageBoxAFn = unsafe extern "system" fn(HWND, PCSTR, PCSTR, u32) -> i32;
static mut ORIGINAL_MESSAGEBOX: Option<MessageBoxAFn> = None;

// Your hook function
unsafe extern "system" fn my_hook_function(
    hwnd: HWND, _text: PCSTR, _caption: PCSTR, _utype: u32
) -> i32 {
    let new_text = "Hooked by MinHook-rs!\0";
    let new_caption = "Hook Demo\0";
    
    // Call original function
    let original = ptr::addr_of!(ORIGINAL_MESSAGEBOX).read().unwrap();
    original(hwnd, new_text.as_ptr(), new_caption.as_ptr(), MB_ICONINFORMATION)
}

fn main() -> Result<()> {
    // 1. Initialize
    initialize()?;

    // 2. Create hook  
    let (trampoline, target) = create_hook_api(
        "user32", 
        "MessageBoxA", 
        my_hook_function as *mut c_void
    )?;

    // 3. Store original function for calling later
    unsafe {
        ORIGINAL_MESSAGEBOX = Some(std::mem::transmute(trampoline));
    }

    // 4. Enable hook
    enable_hook(target)?;

    // 5. Test the hook
    unsafe {
        MessageBoxA(ptr::null_mut(), "Test\0".as_ptr(), "Title\0".as_ptr(), MB_OK);
    }

    // 6. Cleanup
    disable_hook(target)?;
    remove_hook(target)?;
    uninitialize()?;

    Ok(())
}

Examples

Basic Hook Example

Run our comprehensive example that demonstrates all MinHook-rs features:

cargo run --example basic_hook

This example includes:

• Basic hook functionality with MessageBoxA interception
• Multiple simultaneous hooks (MessageBoxA + GetTickCount)
• Dynamic enable/disable cycles for stress testing
• Queued operations with batch application
• Comprehensive error handling and edge cases
• Recursive call handling and safety verification
• High-frequency performance testing with 1000+ calls
• Memory safety verification under stress conditions

The example runs 12 test phases covering all functionality aspects with detailed output and performance metrics.

MessageBox Hook Examples

The examples/messagebox/ directory contains comprehensive MessageBox hooking examples:

• simple_messagebox_hook.rs: DLL that hooks MessageBoxA to replace all message content
• simple_injector.rs: Generic DLL injector for testing hooks
• messagebox_test.rs: Test program that displays multiple MessageBox dialogs

Build and test:

# Build all components

cargo xwin build --example simple_messagebox_hook --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc --release

cargo xwin build --example simple_injector --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc --release

cargo xwin build --example messagebox_test --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc --release


# Start test program

wine target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/examples/messagebox_test.exe &

# Find PID and inject DLL

wine tasklist | wine findstr messagebox_test

wine target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/examples/simple_injector.exe <PID> <DLL_PATH>

Notepad Hook Examples

The examples/notepad/ directory demonstrates real-world application hooking:

• notepad_hook_dll.rs: Hooks Notepad's exit confirmation dialog
• notepad_injector.rs: Specialized injector for Notepad processes

Build and test:

# Build and inject into Notepad

cargo xwin build --example notepad_hook_dll --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc --release

cargo xwin build --example notepad_injector --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc --release


wine notepad.exe &
wine tasklist | wine findstr notepad

wine target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/examples/notepad_injector.exe <PID> target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/examples/notepad_hook_dll.dll

x86_64 Instruction Format and Disassembler

Understanding x86_64 instruction encoding is crucial for reliable function hooking. MinHook-rs includes a custom instruction decoder designed specifically for hook creation.

Instruction Structure

x86_64 instructions use variable-length encoding with up to 7 components:

[Prefixes] [REX] [Opcode] [ModR/M] [SIB] [Displacement] [Immediate]
   0-4      0-1    1-3      0-1     0-1      0-8          0-8

Components:

• Prefixes: Operation size, segment, repeat behavior overrides
• REX Prefix: 64-bit extensions for registers and operand size
• Opcode: 1-3 bytes defining the instruction operation
• ModR/M: Addressing mode and register selection
• SIB: Scale-Index-Base for complex memory addressing
• Displacement: Memory offset values (8/16/32-bit)
• Immediate: Constant operand data (8/16/32/64-bit)

Hook-Critical Instructions

RIP-Relative Addressing:

mov rax, [rip + 0x12345678]  ; Requires address relocation in trampolines
lea rax, [rip + 0x1000]      ; PC-relative memory references
call [rip + offset]          ; Indirect calls through memory

Control Flow Instructions:

call relative_addr           ; Direct relative calls
jmp short_offset            ; Short jumps (8-bit offset)
jcc long_offset             ; Conditional jumps (32-bit offset)
ret                         ; Return instructions

Complex Addressing:

mov rax, [rbp + rsi*2 + 8]  ; Scale-index-base with displacement
mov [rsp + 0x100], rbx      ; Stack operations with large offsets

Decoder Features

MinHook-rs provides a specialized decoder optimized for hooking:

pub struct HookInstruction {
    pub len: u8,           // Precise instruction length
    pub opcode: u8,        // Primary opcode
    pub opcode2: u8,       // Secondary opcode (0F xx instructions)
    pub modrm: u8,         // ModR/M byte for addressing analysis
    pub immediate: i32,    // Immediate values (unified type)
    pub displacement: i32, // Displacement for RIP-relative addressing
    pub flags: u32,        // HDE64-compatible instruction flags
    pub error: bool,       // Parse error indicator
}

Key Methods:

• is_rip_relative() - Detect instructions requiring address relocation
• is_call(), is_jmp(), is_conditional() - Control flow classification
• immediate_size() - Calculate immediate field length for relocation
• modrm_reg() - Extract register fields for indirect jump detection

HDE64 Compatibility

The decoder maintains full compatibility with the proven HDE64 algorithm:

• Table-driven approach: Uses comprehensive opcode lookup tables
• Multi-stage parsing: Prefix → REX → Opcode → ModR/M → Operands
• Error handling: Graceful handling of malformed instructions
• Length accuracy: 100% accurate instruction length calculation

API Reference

Core Functions

Batch Operations

Disassembler API

Utility Functions

Error Handling

MinHook-rs provides comprehensive error handling:

pub enum HookError {
    Unknown,
    AlreadyInitialized,
    NotInitialized,
    AlreadyCreated,
    NotCreated,
    Enabled,
    Disabled,
    NotExecutable,
    UnsupportedFunction,
    MemoryAlloc,
    MemoryProtect,
    ModuleNotFound,
    FunctionNotFound,
}

Architecture

MinHook-rs works by patching target functions and redirecting execution:

Original: [Target Function] → [Function Body] → [Return]
Hooked:   [Target Function] → [Hook Function] → [Trampoline] → [Original Body] → [Return]

Hook Installation Process:

1. Analysis: Decode instructions at target address for safe hook points
2. Trampoline: Allocate nearby memory and copy original instructions
3. Relocation: Fix RIP-relative addresses for new trampoline location
4. Installation: Replace target function start with jump to detour
5. Execution: Detour function calls original via trampoline

Platform Support

• Windows x64: Full support
• Windows x86: Not supported
• Linux/macOS: Windows-specific

Performance

MinHook-rs is optimized for production use:

• Low overhead: Minimal impact on hooked function performance
• Fast decoding: Optimized instruction parsing with table lookups
• Memory efficient: Small trampoline footprint and optimized data structures
• Thread safety: Lock-free operations where possible

Benchmarks show excellent performance characteristics:

• Hook creation: Sub-millisecond trampoline generation
• Runtime overhead: Near-zero impact on function execution
• Memory usage: Minimal footprint with efficient instruction decoding

Best Practices

Hook Function Design

// Always match the exact signature of the target function
type TargetFn = unsafe extern "system" fn(arg1: Type1, arg2: Type2) -> RetType;
static mut ORIGINAL: Option<TargetFn> = None;

unsafe extern "system" fn hook_function(arg1: Type1, arg2: Type2) -> RetType {
    // Your hook logic here
    
    // Call original function safely
    let original = ptr::addr_of!(ORIGINAL).read().unwrap();
    original(arg1, arg2)
}

Error Handling

// Handle all possible error conditions
match create_hook_api("user32", "MessageBoxA", hook_fn as *mut c_void) {
    Ok((trampoline, target)) => { /* success */ },
    Err(HookError::ModuleNotFound) => { /* handle missing module */ },
    Err(HookError::FunctionNotFound) => { /* handle missing function */ },
    Err(e) => { /* handle other errors */ },
}

Cleanup

// Always cleanup in reverse order
disable_hook(target)?;
remove_hook(target)?;
uninitialize()?;

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

Acknowledgments

• Original MinHook by Tsuda Kageyu
• HDE64 disassembler engine by Vyacheslav Patkov
• Intel x86-64 Architecture Software Developer's Manual
• Microsoft Windows API documentation