Hopper is a disassembler and decompiler used to inspect compiled software when source code is unavailable. It converts machine instructions into a more readable form, helps map control flow, and can assist analysts in identifying functions, strings, and suspicious logic inside native binaries.
In cybersecurity, Hopper matters because malware, loaders, and exploit payloads are often delivered as compiled executables that hide their behavior from simple code review. Analysts use Hopper during reverse engineering, malware triage, and vulnerability research to understand how a sample works and to validate whether a binary contains dangerous routines. In defensive workflows, it can be paired with scripts or AI-assisted tooling to speed up repetitive analysis, but the output still needs expert verification. Like any reverse-engineering tool, its value depends on careful isolation of untrusted samples and disciplined review of the results.