decompilers
Binary source extractors
Decompilers are software tools that attempt to reverse the compilation process, converting executable machine code back into human-readable source code.
Where a compiler translates a programming language into instructions a computer can run, a decompiler works backward—useful for analyzing malware, recovering lost source code, or understanding how software works: Security researchers ran the suspicious file through a decompiler.
Separating into components
- binaryConsisting of two parts
- executableDirectly runnable program file
- bytecodeCompiled platform-neutral instructions
- machine-codeProcessor-executable binary instructions
assembly-language · reconstruction · firmware · pseudocode · cross-references
Analyzing something to recreate it
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- ransomwareHostage-taking code
- rootkitHidden unauthorized access software
- unpackingRemoving items from containers
Exclusive reproduction rights
- DMCADigital copyright protection law
- licensingGranting official permission
- interoperabilityCross-platform functional harmony
- EULASoftware license abbreviation
disassembly
Separating into components
- binaryConsisting of two parts
- executableDirectly runnable program file
- bytecodeCompiled platform-neutral instructions
machine-code · assembly-language · reconstruction · firmware · pseudocode · cross-references
reverse-engineering
Analyzing something to recreate it
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- ransomwareHostage-taking code
- rootkitHidden unauthorized access software
breakpoint
Code execution pause marker
copyright
Exclusive reproduction rights
- DMCADigital copyright protection law
- licensingGranting official permission
- interoperabilityCross-platform functional harmony
decompilerscompilers
Programs converting source code
compiler · assemblers · obfuscators · linkers · packers