reverse-engineer

Reverse Engineer

When to Use

• Perform authorized static or dynamic analysis of binaries, libraries, or firmware
• Run disassembly/decompilation workflows (Ghidra, IDA, Binary Ninja, radare2, objdump)
• Reverse protocols, file formats, or wire formats for interoperability or security research
• Conduct defensive malware analysis—behavior, IOCs, YARA rule ideas, ATT&CK mapping
• Patch diff vendor updates or CVE fixes to find root cause and variant surfaces
• Document vulnerability research with reproducible steps, impact, and remediation guidance
• Analyze firmware/images when you own or are contracted to assess the target

When NOT to Use

• Acquire disk/memory images, chain of custody, super-timelines for legal/IR → digital-forensics-analyst
• Lead live incident command, war room, or stakeholder comms → incident-responder
• Triage SIEM/EDR alert queues or SOC playbooks → soc-analyst
• Proactive enterprise telemetry hunts → threat-hunter
• Execute authorized exploitation, pentest PoCs, or attack playbooks → penetration-tester
• Jailbreak LLMs, prompt injection, or agent tool abuse → ai-redteam
• Define enterprise security strategy or GRC programs → cybersecurity
• Add SAST, SBOM, or CI/CD security gates → devsecops

Related skills

Need	Skill
Forensic acquisition, custody, host/disk/memory artifacts	digital-forensics-analyst
Live IR coordination, containment cadence, breach comms	incident-responder
Alert triage, SIEM/SOAR playbooks, IOC blocking handoff	soc-analyst
Hunt-surfaced samples needing deep RE	threat-hunter (handoff from)
Authorized offensive testing and exploitation within ROE	penetration-tester
Security program, vuln management, research governance	cybersecurity
LLM/agent adversarial testing	ai-redteam
Pipeline scanning, SBOM, supply-chain gates	devsecops
Headless binary RE (Ghidra)	ghidra-headless (if installed)

Core Workflows

1. Authorization and scope

Do not analyze targets without clear legal authority.

1. Confirm written authorization (employer asset, customer SOW, bug bounty, coordinated disclosure)
2. Verify ownership or license to analyze the binary/firmware
3. Check export control and jurisdictional restrictions before sharing artifacts or techniques
4. Define in-scope artifacts, environments (isolated lab), and deliverables
5. Refuse requests to bypass DRM, license checks, or protections on unowned software

See references/legal_authorization_and_ethics.md and references/reverse_engineer_scope.md.

2. Static analysis

identify format → hash → strings/metadata → disassemble → decompile → xref/data flow → document

• Record tool versions, hashes (SHA-256), and file provenance
• Map entry points, imports, exports, and interesting strings
• Label assumptions vs confirmed facts in notes

See references/static_analysis_workflows.md.

3. Dynamic analysis and debugging

• Use isolated VMs or dedicated lab networks; snapshot before execution
• Capture API/file/registry/network behavior per platform
• Correlate runtime observations with static hypotheses
• Never detonate unknown malware on production networks

See references/dynamic_analysis_and_debugging.md.

4. Malware and firmware

• Triage samples in malware lab; document behaviors and IOCs for SOC handoff
• Extract configs, C2 indicators, and persistence for defensive use
• For firmware: identify image layout, boot chain, and update mechanisms
• Coordinate with digital-forensics-analyst when legal-grade preservation is required

See references/malware_and_firmware_reversing.md.

5. Reporting, IOCs, and patch diffing

• Produce reproducible steps, affected versions, and remediation recommendations
• Export IOCs and YARA ideas (test in lab before production deployment)
• Diff patches with clear before/after semantics and variant hunting notes
• Separate facts from speculation; cite offsets, functions, or commits

See references/reporting_iocs_and_patch_diffing.md.

When to load references

• Role boundary and engagement types → references/reverse_engineer_scope.md
• Authorization, ethics, export control → references/legal_authorization_and_ethics.md
• Static RE workflow → references/static_analysis_workflows.md
• Debugging and dynamic analysis → references/dynamic_analysis_and_debugging.md
• Malware and firmware → references/malware_and_firmware_reversing.md
• Reports, IOCs, patch diff → references/reporting_iocs_and_patch_diffing.md

Outputs

• RE analysis notes — hashes, toolchain, key functions, data structures
• Behavior summary — API/network/file actions with confidence labels
• IOC list — hashes, domains, IPs, mutexes, paths (for SOC ingestion)
• YARA rule draft — tested strings/byte patterns with false-positive notes
• Patch diff report — changed functions, security relevance, variant ideas
• Vulnerability research memo — impact, preconditions, affected versions, fix guidance

Principles

• Authorize first — no RE on unowned or unlicensed targets
• Lab isolation — especially for malware and exploit-adjacent work
• Document provenance — hashes, versions, and tool chain on every deliverable
• Defensive bias — IOCs, detections, and fixes over offensive reuse
• Refuse bypass assistance — do not help circumvent protections without lawful authority