Internal vs External Operations

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Internal Operations

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Characteristics

• Fast: Direct memory access without system calls
• No special permissions required: Operating within your own process
• Typical use case: Injected DLLs, shared libraries, or self-modification

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Example Functions

• LM_GetProcess() - Get information about the current process
• LM_ReadMemory() - Read from current process memory
• LM_WriteMemory() - Write to current process memory
• LM_FindModule() - Find a module in the current process
• LM_HookCode() - Hook a function in the current process

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External Operations

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Characteristics

• Process separation: Operate on a different process’s memory
• Requires elevated permissions: May need administrator/root privileges
• Typical use case: Trainers, debuggers, analysis tools
• Function naming: Identified by the Ex suffix (e.g., LM_ReadMemoryEx)

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Example Functions

• LM_GetProcessEx() - Get information about a target process by PID
• LM_ReadMemoryEx() - Read from another process’s memory
• LM_WriteMemoryEx() - Write to another process’s memory
• LM_FindModuleEx() - Find a module in another process
• LM_HookCodeEx() - Hook a function in another process

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Function Naming Convention

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Code Examples

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Internal Operation Example

#include <libmem/libmem.h>

int main()
{
    lm_process_t process;
    lm_module_t module;
    
    // Get the current process information
    LM_GetProcess(&process);
    
    // Find a module in the current process
    LM_FindModule("game.dll", &module);
    
    // Read memory from the current process
    lm_byte_t buffer[64];
    LM_ReadMemory(module.base, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
    
    return 0;
}

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External Operation Example

#include <libmem/libmem.h>

int main()
{
    lm_process_t target_process;
    lm_module_t module;
    
    // Find the target process by name
    LM_FindProcess("game.exe", &target_process);
    
    // Find a module in the target process
    LM_FindModuleEx(&target_process, "game.dll", &module);
    
    // Read memory from the target process
    lm_byte_t buffer[64];
    LM_ReadMemoryEx(&target_process, module.base, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
    
    return 0;
}

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When to Use Each Mode

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Use Internal Operations When:

• Your code is injected into the target process
• Building plugins, mods, or extensions
• Maximum performance is required
• You have control over the target process

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Use External Operations When:

• Building standalone trainers or cheats
• Creating debugging or analysis tools
• The target process cannot be modified
• You need to monitor or manipulate multiple processes