Reverse Engineering Services
Extract, analyze, and document embedded firmware. Engagements include firmware analysis, firmware extraction, and related work — all under NDA.
Overview
Firmware reverse engineering services for embedded systems and IoT devices. Firmware extraction, analysis, and documentation under strict NDA.
Engagements are scoped to a fixed deliverable list before kickoff and run under a written NDA. Daily lab notes and weekly written status keep the work auditable from your side at every step.
In the lab
Probes, host, and extracted image — every step photo-logged.
Firmware RE Lead
Anonymized pre-NDA
How we work
In both reverse engineering and custom development, we never thoughtlessly clone. We carry out improvements and adaptations to the customer's specific task, because the existing solution often cannot fully satisfy the customer's request. Reverse engineering surfaces the design intent; the engineering that follows decides what to keep, what to change, and what to engineer from scratch.
Engineering analysis
As part of both reverse engineering and custom development projects, we perform in-depth engineering analysis based on mathematical and physical modeling. Depending on project requirements this may include structural calculations, fluid dynamics, gas flow analysis, thermal processes, stress and load simulations, process modeling, and validation of engineering assumptions affecting system performance and operational reliability — used for design verification, technology assessment, process optimization, and validation of technical parameters for production and commercial deployment.
When you call us
Patterns we see across engagements. Each can stand alone or combine with adjacent capabilities.
JTAG, SWD, SPI flash, eMMC, and bus-side capture for devices that ship without exposed firmware images. Output: bootable, dissectible firmware blob.
Identify hardcoded credentials, weak crypto, unsigned update channels, and unsafe boot paths in firmware your team cannot get source for.
Recover and document firmware on installed-base IoT products whose vendor is gone, enabling patching, replacement parts, and continued support.
Recover source-level logic from MCU and SoC firmware to enable maintenance, feature extension, or migration to a current target.
Identify and exercise JTAG, SWD, UART, I2C, and SPI interfaces. Foundation for both extraction and live behavioral analysis.
Validate signing, integrity, and rollback handling on firmware update mechanisms — common precondition for FDA, ISO 26262, and IEC 62443 work.
Confirm that a target product's firmware behaves as the technical pitch claims, with audit-grade documentation.
Methodology
Vertical phasing — each step's deliverables agreed before kickoff, and not closed until you sign off.
Phase 01
Mutual NDA executed before any device, image, or technical materials change hands. Scope, deliverables, and legal basis confirmed in writing.
Phase 02
Map debug interfaces and external memory. Decide between JTAG/SWD, SPI flash readout, eMMC dump, or chip-off based on device architecture.
Phase 03
Pull the firmware image with chain-of-custody documentation. Verify against a hash before proceeding to analysis.
Phase 04
Architecture identification, binwalk-led structure analysis, IDA Pro / Ghidra disassembly, and string-level triage.
Phase 05
QEMU emulation, hardware-in-the-loop debug, and OpenOCD-driven trace where the static view is incomplete.
Phase 06
Annotated source for relevant routines, boot path documentation, and update-channel architecture diagrams.
Tooling
Named tools, in production. We don't list anything we don't actually use.
Tool
binwalk
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
firmware-mod-kit
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
JTAG / SWD probes
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
OpenOCD
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
flashrom
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
IDA Pro with embedded plugins
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
Ghidra
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
QEMU + Avatar²
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
Tool
Saleae Logic / Logic Pro
Production use — versioned per-engagement and pinned in our build.
$ openocd -f swd-stm32.cfg -c 'init; halt; flash read_bank 0 dump.bin'
Read 1,048,576 bytes · sha256 a4f9e1…
$ binwalk -Me dump.bin
Extracted bootloader, app, and resource partitions
$
Deliverables
Artifacts handed over at close-out. Each is reproducible and self-contained.
Sample deliverable
firmware-reverse-engineering · final report
rev.04 · pdf
Engagement summary
Findings
Our practice
Firmware work spans hardware and software. The same engineer who exercises the JTAG header runs the IDA session — no handoff loss between extraction and analysis.
Extraction in practice
JTAG, SWD, SPI flash readout, chip-off when needed. Verified hash and chain-of-custody on every dump.
Firmware RE Lead
Anonymized pre-NDA
Embedded Engineer
Anonymized pre-NDA
Bus Analysis Lead
Anonymized pre-NDA
Boot-Path Specialist
Anonymized pre-NDA
“Extract once, verify the hash, document the path — every extraction is reproducible.”
Cross-industry
Sectors where this work is most often scoped. Cross-link to detailed industry pages for sector-specific context.
Firmware extraction and protocol mapping.
Firmware RE for iot & embeddedECU, CAN, and aftermarket interoperability.
Firmware RE for automotiveCompliance-aware reverse engineering.
Firmware RE for medical devicesSustainment for long-life platforms.
Firmware RE for aerospacePLC and legacy controller recovery.
Firmware RE for industrial & manufacturingQuestions
Pulled from real client conversations. If yours isn't here, ask directly.
Our firmware reverse engineering services cover the full pipeline: identifying and exercising debug interfaces, extracting firmware images from devices, performing static and dynamic analysis on those images, and producing documentation that an engineering team can act on. Common outputs are annotated source for relevant routines, boot path documentation, and attack-surface analysis.
Extraction strategy depends on the device. JTAG and SWD are the cleanest path when exposed. For devices that hide debug we use SPI flash and eMMC readout, bus-side sniffing, or chip-off as a last resort. Each path produces a verified firmware image with a documented hash and chain-of-custody record.
Yes. IoT firmware reverse engineering across installed-base fleets is common — the work pattern is to extract once on a representative sample, document the firmware structure and update channel, and produce automation that lets your team apply the work across the fleet.
Yes — that is the core of what firmware reverse engineering services do. We disassemble the firmware image, recover control flow, identify libraries and standard functions, and produce annotated source-level documentation. For sustainment programs we go further and produce buildable source with a documented modern toolchain.
We routinely work on ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A, AArch64, RISC-V, MIPS, AVR, PIC, MSP430, Xtensa (ESP-family), and various proprietary microcontroller cores. JTAG analysis and SWD debug are supported on every mainstream embedded platform; less common interfaces require additional setup time.
Encrypted firmware is a defined sub-problem within firmware reverse engineering services. We start by characterizing the encryption: where it's applied, what protects the key, and whether the key is recoverable through legitimate means under your engagement scope. We do not bypass protections without written authorization in the engagement letter.
Single-target engagements run four to twelve weeks. Multi-product fleets and update-channel review programs run longer. We provide a fixed scope letter with milestones before extraction begins.
Yes. When firmware analysis surfaces vulnerabilities, our security research team coordinates with the vendor under a published disclosure policy. We document findings, share with the vendor first, and publish only after a remediation window — and only with your authorization.
Engagements start with a scoping phase under NDA. Project length and pricing depend on extraction difficulty, firmware size, target architecture, and required deliverable depth. We offer fixed-bid scopes for well-bounded extraction work and time-and-materials for exploratory firmware analysis.
Selected work
Engagements where this pillar carried significant scope.
An automated fly-feeding system developed as the experimental engineering stage for an investment program centered on waste-processing plants for poultry and pig farming. The feeder is the upstream input to a biological waste-processing chain where fly larvae convert agricultural waste into usable protein and frass.
Read case studyDesigned and field-tested an automatic piglet feeding system — a heated, in-pen feeder that serves as an economic alternative to a conventional milk kitchen. Approbated on two reproducer programs with 30%–70% survival uplift on weak piglets, plus a sow-turnover acceleration program after day 15.
Read case studyMore from us
Adjacent capabilities you may need on the same engagement.
Reverse Engineering
PCB analysis. Schematic recovery. Chip-level reverse engineering.
Explore Hardware REReverse Engineering
Vulnerability discovery. Code audits. Exploit research.
Explore Security ResearchReverse Engineering
Document protocols. Reverse APIs. Decode formats.
Explore Protocol REEngage
All inquiries reviewed under NDA. We respond within two business days with a scoped engagement plan and fixed deliverables list.
Senior engineers · Anonymized pre-NDA
