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Reverse // Binary Analysis

radare2 Quick Reference

radare2 Quick Reference is presented here as a field note for offensive security work. The emphasis is on attack surface, validation logic, common failure patterns, operator choices and the public references worth keeping nearby during a live assessment.

field noteassessment referencepublic sources

Why it matters in practice

radare2 Quick Reference matters because it shapes how an operator scopes the work, chooses validation steps, prioritizes evidence and explains risk. The point is not to accumulate trivia; it is to understand which control boundary is in play and how that boundary can fail under realistic pressure.

This note keeps radare2 quick reference tied to offensive workflow: what to observe, what to prove, what usually goes wrong, and which references remain useful once an assessment moves from planning into active validation.

Primary coverage

The items below mark the main workflows, concepts, tools and validation themes that repeatedly matter when working through radare2 quick reference.

  • Radare2 quick reference

Selected public references

#Radare2:
-w -> write mode
-AA -> for additional analysis (for C++ programs)
-d -> Debug mode
V -> visual Mode
VV -> graph mode
V! -> GUI mode
i - basic information
u -> go back
Enter -> follow call
A -> patch istruction
: -> command prompt
command “axt” -> cross references to
q -> quit
do -> restart program
db -> set breakpoint
dc -> continue
F7 -> single step
ii -> imports
ie -> Entry point
iE -> Exports
iS -> Sections
is -> Symbols
afl -> function list
iz -> strings in .data
izz -> all strings
x -> cross references in graph mode
; -> comment
" -> select view in V! mode
- -> split vie in V! mode
Capital Vim controls -> resize views
/m -> search for magic numbers
wtf! -> write to file
? <address> - different data representations

#Rabin2:
-I  -> general binary information
-H -> Headers
-M -> Main fucntion
-zz -> Strings

#Rafind2:
-s <string> -> offset of string

Selected public references