Description
What is the feature you'd like to have?
Sections with the same name should be allowed.
Is your feature request related to a problem?
Currently if multiple sections are added to a binary view with the same name only the first instance is displayed in the UI. This means that only 1 will appear in the sections list at the top of the linear view. This applies to the sections table under the Memory Map panel. Also there should be text where a section starts and ends in the linear view, as well as a sticky header showing the current section name as you scroll through it. This is not the case for sections with duplicate names (except for the first instance).
Loading libsystem_c.dylib from the DYLD Shared Cache in IDA provides the following sections:
Name Start End R W X D L Align Base Type Class AD T DS
libsystem_c:HEADER 000000018AB60000 000000018AB61A5C R . X . L byte 07 public DATA 64 00 07
libsystem_c:__text 000000018AB61A5C 000000018ABD8300 R . X . L dword 01 public CODE 64 00 01
libsystem_c:__auth_stubs 000000018ABD8300 000000018ABD9300 R . X . L dword 02 public CODE 64 00 02
libsystem_c:__const 000000018ABD9300 000000018ABDB968 R . X . L para 03 public DATA 64 00 03
libsystem_c:__cstring 000000018ABDB968 000000018ABDEBD6 R . X . L byte 04 public DATA 64 00 04
libsystem_c:__oslogstring 000000018ABDEBD6 000000018ABDEC34 R . X . L byte 05 public DATA 64 00 05
libsystem_c:__unwind_info 000000018ABDEC34 000000018ABDFFF4 R . X . L dword 06 public 64 00 06
libsystem_c:__got 00000001E1209578 00000001E12095B8 R . . . L qword 08 public DATA 64 00 08
libsystem_c:__const 00000001E12095B8 00000001E120AEC8 R . . . L qword 09 public DATA 64 00 09
libsystem_c:__data 00000001E4DBA558 00000001E4DBAA28 R W . . L qword 0F public DATA 64 00 0F
libsystem_c:__crash_info 00000001E4DBAA28 00000001E4DBAA68 R W . . L qword 10 public 64 00 10
libsystem_c:__constrw 00000001E4DBAA68 00000001E4DBB6F0 R W . . L qword 11 public 64 00 11
libsystem_c:__bss 00000001E4DBB6F0 00000001E4DBC3A0 R W . . L qword 12 public BSS 64 00 12
libsystem_c:__common 00000001E4DBC3A0 00000001E4DBC428 R W . . L qword 13 public BSS 64 00 13
libsystem_c:__data 00000001E6BEB460 00000001E6BEC770 R W . . L qword 14 public DATA 64 00 14
libsystem_c:__bss 00000001E6BEC770 00000001E6BECA60 R W . . L qword 15 public BSS 64 00 15
libsystem_c:__common 00000001E6BECA60 00000001E6BECAF0 R W . . L qword 16 public BSS 64 00 16
libsystem_c:__data 00000001E7A9EB30 00000001E7A9EB60 R W . . L qword 0D public DATA 64 00 0D
libsystem_c:__constrw 00000001E7A9EB60 00000001E7A9EBE0 R W . . L qword 0E public 64 00 0E
libsystem_c:__auth_got 00000001E8FF62D8 00000001E8FF6AD8 R W . . L qword 0A public DATA 64 00 0A
libsystem_c:__auth_ptr 00000001E8FF6AD8 00000001E8FF6B58 R W . . L qword 0B public 64 00 0B
libsystem_c:__const 00000001E8FF6B58 00000001E8FF6C58 R W . . L qword 0C public DATA 64 00 0C
As you can see there are a number of duplicate sections like __data and __const.
Doing the same in Binary Ninja you get much less:
Sections:
0x180000000-0x180000208 __dsc_header {Read-only data}
0x180000210-0x180000238 .synthetic_builtins {External}
0x18ab61a5c-0x18abd8300 libsystem_c.dylib::__text (PURE_CODE) {Code}
0x18abd8300-0x18abd9300 libsystem_c.dylib::__auth_stubs (SYMBOL_STUBS) {Code}
0x18abdb968-0x18abdebd6 libsystem_c.dylib::__cstring (CSTRING_LITERALS) {Read-only data}
0x18abdebd6-0x18abdec32 libsystem_c.dylib::__oslogstring (CSTRING_LITERALS) {Read-only data}
0x18abdec34-0x18abdfff4 libsystem_c.dylib::__unwind_info (REGULAR)
0x1e1209578-0x1e12095b8 libsystem_c.dylib::__got (REGULAR) {Read-only data}
0x1e4dbaa28-0x1e4dbaa68 libsystem_c.dylib::__crash_info (REGULAR)
0x1e4dbaa68-0x1e4dbb6f0 libsystem_c.dylib::__constrw (REGULAR)
0x1e6beb460-0x1e6bec770 libsystem_c.dylib::__data (REGULAR) {Writable data}
0x1e6bec770-0x1e6beca60 libsystem_c.dylib::__bss (ZEROFILL) {Writable data}
0x1e6beca60-0x1e6becaf0 libsystem_c.dylib::__common (ZEROFILL) {Writable data}
0x1e7a9eb30-0x1e8ff62d8 libsystem_c.dylib::__data(2)
0x1e7a9eb30-0x1e8ff62d8 libsystem_c.dylib::__data2
0x1e8ff62d8-0x1e8ff6ad8 libsystem_c.dylib::__auth_got (REGULAR)
0x1e8ff6ad8-0x1e8ff6b58 libsystem_c.dylib::__auth_ptr (REGULAR)
0x1e8ff6b58-0x1e8ff6c58 libsystem_c.dylib::__const (REGULAR) {Read-only data}
The Binary Ninja DYLD Shared Cache plugin is aware of the sections and does try to add them but the core API disallows the duplicate named sections. When scrolling through the linear view the data in the duplicate sections is viewable, just not marked as a section.
Are any alternative solutions acceptable?
Probably not, duplicate section names appears to be intended and supported behaviour for executables (at least for Mach-O) so it would make sense for Binary Ninja to accurately reflect that.
Additional Information:
I wasn't sure to whether to file this as a bug or a feature request. It seems the behaviour is intended so I figured this should be a feature request.