Convert Exe To Shellcode

The final output is a blob of raw bytes that, when executed in any process, will unpack and run your full EXE.

Run Donut. The syntax is simple:

donut -f popup.exe -o payload.bin

Key flags:

The shellcode cannot rely on an import table. It must find the addresses of the functions it needs (like LoadLibraryA and GetProcAddress) on its own.

In the world of low-level exploitation and post-exploitation, shellcode is king. It is position-independent code (PIC) that an attacker injects into a running process to spawn a shell, download a payload, or execute commands. convert exe to shellcode

But writing complex shellcode (like a full reverse HTTPS listener) directly in assembly is tedious. Wouldn't it be easier to write a full C++ application, compile it to an .exe, and then just convert that EXE into shellcode?

Yes. And here is how it works.

Donut (created by TheWover and odzhan) is the de facto standard for generating position-independent shellcode from EXEs, DLLs, or .NET assemblies. It produces a small, self-contained loader stub that extracts and executes the target PE in memory.