binja: improve Binary Ninja API detection on macOS and Windows

[kevinmuoz]

Problem
On macOS and Windows, capa fails to find the Binary Ninja API even when installed at the default location.

Changes

• Add _is_python_dir / _to_python_dir helpers to accept both root and python-dir layouts
• Update validate_binaryninja_path to use _to_python_dir
• Add macOS default path detection: /Applications/Binary Ninja.app/Contents/Resources
• Add Windows detection via BN_INSTALL_DIR, lastrun, and C:/Program Files/Vector35/BinaryNinja

Tested on

• macOS M1
• Windows 10

Closes #2641

Checklist

• No CHANGELOG update needed

• No new tests needed

• No documentation update needed

• This submission includes AI-generated code and I have provided details in the description.

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request addresses a critical issue where capa failed to locate the Binary Ninja API on macOS and Windows systems, even when installed in standard locations. The changes introduce robust, platform-specific detection mechanisms and helper functions to correctly identify the Binary Ninja Python module directory, significantly improving capa's compatibility and usability across these operating systems.

Highlights

• New Helper Functions: Introduced _is_python_dir to check for the Python module directory structure and _to_python_dir to normalize paths to the correct Python directory, handling both root and python-dir layouts.
• Improved Path Validation: Refactored validate_binaryninja_path to leverage the new _to_python_dir helper, simplifying the validation logic.
• Enhanced macOS Detection: Added specific logic to detect Binary Ninja API at the default macOS application path /Applications/Binary Ninja.app/Contents/Resources.
• Comprehensive Windows Detection: Implemented multiple strategies for Windows, including checking the BN_INSTALL_DIR environment variable, reading the lastrun file, and checking the default installation path C:/Program Files/Vector35/BinaryNinja.

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Activity

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request significantly improves the detection of the Binary Ninja API on macOS and Windows by adding several new discovery mechanisms. However, the new detection mechanisms (environment variables and the lastrun configuration file) introduce potential security risks by loading Python modules from unvalidated paths. Specifically, an empty lastrun file can lead to code execution from the current working directory, and on Windows, both mechanisms could be abused via UNC paths to trigger network requests or load remote code. I've also identified a few areas for improvement concerning correctness, robustness, and minor optimizations, including suggestions to handle potentially empty configuration files correctly, refine platform-detection logic to be more explicit, fix a type hint, and remove a redundant function call.

[kevinmuoz]

@xusheng6 this should address the original macOS Binja API detection issue. Could you please confirm on your setup when you have a moment? It works on my M1, thanks!!

[mike-hunhoff]

@williballenthin I don't have a binja setup and I'm not familiar with the tool's API. Could you review this PR when you have a chance?

[williballenthin]

yeah i can give this a shot as long as my license is still valid. i'll check tomorrow.

[mr-tz]

@xusheng6 could you support here?

[xusheng6]

@xusheng6 could you support here?

I will have a look. Can you assign me on this to help me keep track of it?