ARM Exception Handling and an IDAPython Script

Windows RT has differences in several points, and implementation of SEH is one of them. To sort out my understanding of ARM exception handling, I wrote an IDAPython script that interprets SEH information in an Windows RT PE file and applies it to an IDB. Here is an example of how this script helps you (I use one of PatchGuard routines uses SEH to obfuscate its code flow):

Image1: Before Use (plain output of IDA)

Image2: After Use

 In the image2, comments show that there is a __try/__except block around a call to __rt_sdiv().

Image3: Exception Filter

If you look at the location of an exception filter, you will find that the exception filter is calling another interesting looking function, which is actually authentic PatchGuard code flow. You could miss this path if you were just looking at plain output of IDA like the image1. This script will help you tell existence of SEH handlers.

About the internal of ARM exception handling, I do not explain it here as there is detailed enough explanations on MSDN[1] to understand it, but in short, it is fairly similar to one on x64. For instance, each function in a file is dictated by a RUNTIME_FUNCTION structure located in a .pdata section, and the structure points to an .xdata record consists of a SCOPE_TABLE structure and an array of its entries describing ranges of __try blocks, addresses of except filters and body blocks (or finally blocks). These are all essentially the same design as x64. 

As a note, I listed some references below which may complement your understanding of ARM exception handing[2][3][4][5]. Hope you enjoy them and my script too. 

1. ARM Exception Handling
2. Exceptional behavior: the Windows 8.1 X64 SEH Implementation
   References listed at the top of the articles are all exceptionally good, apart from this article.
3. RtlLookupFunctionEntry function
   Returns a corresponding .pdata entry for a given address.
4. .fnent (Display Function Data)
   You can dump .pdata/.xdata information with it.
5. Improving IDA Analysis of x64 Exception Handling
   An x64 version of my script. Very handy.