ITG NowHome › AI glossary › Reverse engineering
What is Reverse engineering?
Reverse engineering is taking a finished product or program apart to figure out how it works, without having the original plans.
- Category GitHub & code
- Also called reverse-engineer, reverse-engineered
- Updated 20 Oct 2026
Reverse engineering, explained simply
Reverse engineering means working backward. You start with the finished thing and study it to learn how it was built.
In software, people study a program to see what it does inside. They might do this to check for security flaws or to make two products work together.
Think of tasting a dish and guessing the recipe. People sometimes do the same with an app or a chip.
On ITG Now, our daily AI news stories sometimes mention people reverse engineering an app or model to see what it really does.
Related terms
Open sourceVulnerabilitySoftware licenseMalware
Where you'll see it on ITG Now
Questions people ask about Reverse engineering
Is reverse engineering legal?
It depends on the country, the product and its license. Some rules allow it for research or compatibility. This isn't legal advice, so check the rules for your case.
Why do people reverse engineer software?
Common reasons are checking security, fixing old software, and making products work together.
Is reverse engineering the same as hacking?
Not always. It is a way of studying how something works. What someone does with the knowledge is what matters.