Reverse-Engineer a Stripped Binary to Restore Linking Symbols
Overview
What this challenge is about.
Reverse-engineer a stripped Linux ELF binary from a gaming platform using Ghidra and objdump, label 30+ functions, and earn a verifiable certificate.
The scenario
The studio (planning a console port that requires a clean crash-reporting pipeline) cannot release without symbol-level crash data for the anti-cheat library.
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Restore at least 30 reasonable function symbols to a stripped 6-year-old library and produce a symbol file the modern build pipeline can consume.
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Use objdump, nm, and Ghidra to navigate a stripped ELF binary
- Identify functions by call-graph patterns and string references
- Restore symbols compatible with the addr2line / DWARF toolchain
- Document a reverse-engineering methodology others can extend
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Aligned coursework coming soon.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
- Reverse Engineering
Apply reverse engineering to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Linking And Loading
Apply linking and loading to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Machine Code
Apply machine code to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Ghidra
Apply ghidra to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Elf
Apply elf to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Documentation
Apply documentation to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
Careers
Career paths this challenge builds toward
Completing this challenge demonstrates skills that transfer directly to these roles: