How to Install and Use radare2 on Linux
radare2 is an open-source framework for reverse engineering and analyzing binaries. It’s powerful, versatile, and supports various architectures. This guide will take you through the installation process and provide an overview of its basic usage.
Installation
On Ubuntu
Update your package list:
Open a terminal and run:
sudo apt update
Install radare2:
You can install radare2 from the official repositories:
sudo apt install radare2
On Arch Linux
Open your terminal and run:
sudo pacman -S radare2
On Fedora
Use the following command:
sudo dnf install radare2
From Source
If you want the latest version, you can build radare2 from source:
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/radareorg/radare2.git
cd radare2
Run the installation script:
./sys/install.sh
This will install radare2 and all necessary dependencies.
Basic Usage
Starting radare2
To open a binary file with radare2, use the following command in the terminal:
r2
For example:
r2 /path/to/your/binary
Common Commands
Once inside radare2, you can use several commands to analyze the binary:
Analyze the binary:
To analyze the file automatically, use:
aaa
View functions:
To list all functions in the binary, use:
afl
Disassemble code:
To disassemble a function or address, use:
pdf @
For example, to disassemble the main function, you might use:
pdf @ main
Examine the hex view:
Switch to the hex view by using:
px 64
This command shows 64 bytes of the binary.
Help and Documentation
To access the help menu, type:
?
For more detailed documentation, visit the official radare2 documentation and check out the community resources.
Conclusion
radare2 is a powerful tool for reverse engineering and binary analysis. With its extensive features and command set, it can assist you in understanding and manipulating binary files effectively. As you become more familiar with the commands and options available, you’ll find radare2 to be an invaluable resource for your reverse engineering projects.
Explore and experiment with different functionalities to unlock the full potential of radare2. Happy analyzing!
