Convert utf-8 characters look alikes to real utf-8

Question

I'm using python3 and Nmap with smb-os-discovery.nse script to get details regarding endpoints in a network. specifically hostnames. When the hostname contains non-ascii characters, I receive utf-8 look alike string like so:

"\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\x99\\xD7\\xA0\\xD7\\x93\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\xA17"

What I want is to convert this string to real utf-8 (encoded or decoded, no matter), like so:

b"\xD7\x95\xD7\x95\xD7\x99\xD7\xA0\xD7\x93\xD7\x95\xD7\xA17" or "ווינדוס7"

I've tried the following without success:

 - .replace("\\", "\")
 - .encode('latin1').decode()
 - .decode()

The problem, as I understand it, as that the output of the script gives me utf-8 encoded character in the form of a decoded python string.

Is it possible to convert this automagically?

NB: nmap command (note it is xml output, which is calculated with subprocess and parsed with ElementTree):

nmap --script smb-os-discovery.nse -oX - 192.168.200.100

Full output example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE nmaprun>
<?xml-stylesheet href="file:///usr/bin/../share/nmap/nmap.xsl" type="text/xsl"?>
<!-- Nmap 7.12 scan initiated Sun May 27 07:12:27 2018 as: nmap -&#45;script smb-os-discovery.nse -oX - 192.168.200.100 -->
<nmaprun scanner="nmap" args="nmap -&#45;script smb-os-discovery.nse -oX - 192.168.200.100" start="1527405147" startstr="Sun May 27 07:12:27 2018" version="7.12" xmloutputversion="1.04">
<scaninfo type="syn" protocol="tcp" numservices="1000" services="1,3-4,6-7,9,13,17,19-26,30,32-33,37,42-43,49,53,70,79-85,88-90,99-100,106,109-111,113,119,125,135,139,143-144,146,161,163,179,199,211-212,222,254-256,259,264,280,301,306,311,340,366,389,406-407,416-417,425,427,443-445,458,464-465,481,497,500,512-515,524,541,543-545,548,554-555,563,587,593,616-617,625,631,636,646,648,666-668,683,687,691,700,705,711,714,720,722,726,749,765,777,783,787,800-801,808,843,873,880,888,898,900-903,911-912,981,987,990,992-993,995,999-1002,1007,1009-1011,1021-1100,1102,1104-1108,1110-1114,1117,1119,1121-1124,1126,1130-1132,1137-1138,1141,1145,1147-1149,1151-1152,1154,1163-1166,1169,1174-1175,1183,1185-1187,1192,1198-1199,1201,1213,1216-1218,1233-1234,1236,1244,1247-1248,1259,1271-1272,1277,1287,1296,1300-1301,1309-1311,1322,1328,1334,1352,1417,1433-1434,1443,1455,1461,1494,1500-1501,1503,1521,1524,1533,1556,1580,1583,1594,1600,1641,1658,1666,1687-1688,1700,1717-1721,1723,1755,1761,1782-1783,1801,1805,1812,1839-1840,1862-1864,1875,1900,1914,1935,1947,1971-1972,1974,1984,1998-2010,2013,2020-2022,2030,2033-2035,2038,2040-2043,2045-2049,2065,2068,2099-2100,2103,2105-2107,2111,2119,2121,2126,2135,2144,2160-2161,2170,2179,2190-2191,2196,2200,2222,2251,2260,2288,2301,2323,2366,2381-2383,2393-2394,2399,2401,2492,2500,2522,2525,2557,2601-2602,2604-2605,2607-2608,2638,2701-2702,2710,2717-2718,2725,2800,2809,2811,2869,2875,2909-2910,2920,2967-2968,2998,3000-3001,3003,3005-3007,3011,3013,3017,3030-3031,3052,3071,3077,3128,3168,3211,3221,3260-3261,3268-3269,3283,3300-3301,3306,3322-3325,3333,3351,3367,3369-3372,3389-3390,3404,3476,3493,3517,3527,3546,3551,3580,3659,3689-3690,3703,3737,3766,3784,3800-3801,3809,3814,3826-3828,3851,3869,3871,3878,3880,3889,3905,3914,3918,3920,3945,3971,3986,3995,3998,4000-4006,4045,4111,4125-4126,4129,4224,4242,4279,4321,4343,4443-4446,4449,4550,4567,4662,4848,4899-4900,4998,5000-5004,5009,5030,5033,5050-5051,5054,5060-5061,5080,5087,5100-5102,5120,5190,5200,5214,5221-5222,5225-5226,5269,5280,5298,5357,5405,5414,5431-5432,5440,5500,5510,5544,5550,5555,5560,5566,5631,5633,5666,5678-5679,5718,5730,5800-5802,5810-5811,5815,5822,5825,5850,5859,5862,5877,5900-5904,5906-5907,5910-5911,5915,5922,5925,5950,5952,5959-5963,5987-5989,5998-6007,6009,6025,6059,6100-6101,6106,6112,6123,6129,6156,6346,6389,6502,6510,6543,6547,6565-6567,6580,6646,6666-6669,6689,6692,6699,6779,6788-6789,6792,6839,6881,6901,6969,7000-7002,7004,7007,7019,7025,7070,7100,7103,7106,7200-7201,7402,7435,7443,7496,7512,7625,7627,7676,7741,7777-7778,7800,7911,7920-7921,7937-7938,7999-8002,8007-8011,8021-8022,8031,8042,8045,8080-8090,8093,8099-8100,8180-8181,8192-8194,8200,8222,8254,8290-8292,8300,8333,8383,8400,8402,8443,8500,8600,8649,8651-8652,8654,8701,8800,8873,8888,8899,8994,9000-9003,9009-9011,9040,9050,9071,9080-9081,9090-9091,9099-9103,9110-9111,9200,9207,9220,9290,9415,9418,9485,9500,9502-9503,9535,9575,9593-9595,9618,9666,9876-9878,9898,9900,9917,9929,9943-9944,9968,9998-10004,10009-10010,10012,10024-10025,10082,10180,10215,10243,10566,10616-10617,10621,10626,10628-10629,10778,11110-11111,11967,12000,12174,12265,12345,13456,13722,13782-13783,14000,14238,14441-14442,15000,15002-15004,15660,15742,16000-16001,16012,16016,16018,16080,16113,16992-16993,17877,17988,18040,18101,18988,19101,19283,19315,19350,19780,19801,19842,20000,20005,20031,20221-20222,20828,21571,22939,23502,24444,24800,25734-25735,26214,27000,27352-27353,27355-27356,27715,28201,30000,30718,30951,31038,31337,32768-32785,33354,33899,34571-34573,35500,38292,40193,40911,41511,42510,44176,44442-44443,44501,45100,48080,49152-49161,49163,49165,49167,49175-49176,49400,49999-50003,50006,50300,50389,50500,50636,50800,51103,51493,52673,52822,52848,52869,54045,54328,55055-55056,55555,55600,56737-56738,57294,57797,58080,60020,60443,61532,61900,62078,63331,64623,64680,65000,65129,65389"/>
<verbose level="0"/>
<debugging level="0"/>
<host starttime="1527405147" endtime="1527405149"><status state="up" reason="arp-response" reason_ttl="0"/>
<address addr="192.168.200.100" addrtype="ipv4"/>
<address addr="xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx" addrtype="mac" vendor="VMware"/>
<hostnames>
<hostname name="**************7.testlab.local" type="PTR"/>
</hostnames>
<ports><extraports state="closed" count="990">
<extrareasons reason="resets" count="990"/>
</extraports>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="135"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="msrpc" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="139"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="netbios-ssn" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="445"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="microsoft-ds" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="2030"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="device2" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="3389"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="ms-wbt-server" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="5357"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="wsdapi" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="5500"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="hotline" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="49152"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="unknown" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="49153"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="unknown" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
<port protocol="tcp" portid="49154"><state state="open" reason="syn-ack" reason_ttl="128"/><service name="unknown" method="table" conf="3"/></port>
</ports>
<hostscript><script id="smb-os-discovery" output="&#xa;  OS: Windows 7 Professional 7601 Service Pack 1 (Windows 7 Professional 6.1)&#xa;  OS CPE: cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_7::sp1:professional&#xa;  Computer name: \xD7\x95\xD7\x95\xD7\x99\xD7\xA0\xD7\x93\xD7\x95\xD7\xA17&#xa;  NetBIOS computer name: \xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\xB0\xC2\x90\xC6\x91\xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\x987&#xa;  Domain name: TestLab.Local&#xa;  Forest name: TestLab.Local&#xa;  FQDN: \xD7\x95\xD7\x95\xD7\x99\xD7\xA0\xD7\x93\xD7\x95\xD7\xA17.TestLab.Local&#xa;  System time: 2018-05-27T10:24:04+03:00&#xa;"><elem key="os">Windows 7 Professional 7601 Service Pack 1</elem>
<elem key="lanmanager">Windows 7 Professional 6.1</elem>
<elem key="server">\xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\xB0\xC2\x90\xC6\x91\xE2\x80\xA6\xE2\x80\x987\x00</elem>
<elem key="date">2018-05-27T10:24:04+03:00</elem>
<elem key="fqdn">\xD7\x95\xD7\x95\xD7\x99\xD7\xA0\xD7\x93\xD7\x95\xD7\xA17.TestLab.Local</elem>
<elem key="domain_dns">TestLab.Local</elem>
<elem key="forest_dns">TestLab.Local</elem>
<elem key="workgroup">TESTLAB\x00</elem>
<elem key="cpe">cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_7::sp1:professional</elem>
</script></hostscript><times srtt="214" rttvar="58" to="100000"/>
</host>
<runstats><finished time="1527405149" timestr="Sun May 27 07:12:29 2018" elapsed="2.24" summary="Nmap done at Sun May 27 07:12:29 2018; 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 2.24 seconds" exit="success"/><hosts up="1" down="0" total="1"/>
</runstats>
</nmaprun>

Answer 1

Solution:

As @tripleee pointed out, I ended up using a reverse repr function like so: I had this string:

a="\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\x99\\xD7\\xA0\\xD7\\x93\\xD7\\x95\\xD7\\xA17"

And wanted this string:

a="ווינדוס7"

First I've created a formatted string like so:

b="b'{}'".format(a)

Then, I've used literal_eval func like so:

c=literal_eval(b)

I've received this output in 'c' as expected by the eval:

c=b'\xd7\x95\xd7\x95\xd7\x99\xd7\xa0\xd7\x93\xd7\x95\xd7\xa17'

Then I decoded this byte string into utf-8 string with:

d=c.decode('utf-8')

And had my desired result:

d="ווינדוס7"