Reverse-engineering is the process of examining hardware, firmware, or software to learn how it works, even when the original design is not available. Security researchers use it to identify chips, map functions, recover protocols, and understand how a device stores or executes code. On embedded hardware, this may involve opening the device, tracing components, reading firmware, or probing debug interfaces.
In cyber security, reverse-engineering matters because the same techniques that expose flaws also reveal how attackers can exploit them. A weak firmware image, undocumented interface, or poorly protected boot process can be studied to find bypasses, hidden commands, or vulnerable update paths. Defenders use reverse-engineering to assess products before deployment, validate protections, and create patches or detection rules. For attackers, it can help with malware analysis, exploit development, and repurposing consumer devices beyond their intended use.