Reverse Engineering Binary File Formats with AI
21 days ago
- #binary-file-format
- #AI-assisted-coding
- #reverse-engineering
- Proprietary binary file formats like .TC used by OBDII diagnostic devices can be difficult to reverse engineer.
- The author used AI (Claude Opus 4.5) to reverse engineer the .TC format, saving significant time compared to manual methods.
- Initial research with ChatGPT provided useful comparisons to other diagnostic tool file formats, though no direct info on .TC was found.
- Claude autonomously used tools like 'strings' and 'od' along with Python test code to decode the binary structure.
- Plausibility checks by the author helped correct errors, such as misinterpreting wheel RPM as km/h (resulting in implausible 900 km/h readings).
- The project resulted in a functional .TC to CSV converter, available on GitHub under Apache 2 license.
- Key takeaway: AI can significantly speed up reverse engineering, but human oversight is crucial for validating results.