Starting with reverse engineering can be overwhelming, but having the right tools can make the learning process much smoother. Here are some of the best tools recommended for beginner reverse engineers, based on the experiences and advice from various Redditors:

Essential Tools for Beginners

Disassemblers and Decompilers

• Ghidra: A free and open-source software reverse engineering suite developed by the NSA. It includes a decompiler for various architectures, making it an excellent choice for beginners. "Get ghidra. Go to github and find a project on the platform you want to target like windows/linux/osx. Build the project and load the bin into ghidra and work on understanding and documenting the bin."

• IDA Pro: A commercial disassembler and debugger that is widely used in the industry. While it can be expensive, there is a free version available for non-commercial use. "Learn c and use ghidra or ida to get decompiled code in C"

Debuggers

• x64dbg/x32dbg: Free and open-source debuggers for Windows. They are powerful but can be a bit complex for absolute beginners. "Debugger: x64dbg/x32dbg - Free, powerful, slightly esoteric at first and hard on the eyes. Watch some tutorials."

• OllyDbg: A 32-bit assembler level analyzing debugger for Windows. It is free and has a good community around it. "I began using OllyDbg to step through game code while it's running, and basically learned x86 by doing so."

Binary Instrumentation Tools

• Frida: A dynamic code instrumentation toolkit that allows you to inject JavaScript snippets into native apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and QNX. "Binary Instrumentation: Frida - Python and JavaScript API's. I use this literally all the time to trace functions, to output parameters passed to them as well as return values."

Memory Scanners

• Cheat Engine: A free and open-source memory scanner and debugger. It is often used for game hacking but can be a great tool for understanding memory manipulation. "Memory Scanning: Cheat engine - Free, comprehensive and the most user friendly memory scanner I've yet to find. Especially for beginners."

Additional Resources and Practice Platforms

Online Platforms

• Pwn.college: A free and comprehensive educational platform for cybersecurity, including reverse engineering. "Pwn.college is free, fun and challenging"

• Guided Hacking: A community and resource hub for game hacking and reverse engineering. "If you want a proper resource that you can follow, then go with guided hacking."

• HackTheBox: Offers various reversing challenges that can help you practice your skills. "hackthebox Reversing challenges (and similar) might be a path to start with easy and work your way up."

Books and Tutorials

• "Practical Reverse Engineering": A highly recommended book for theoretical understanding. "I’d really recommend „Practical Reverse Engineering” book. That is for theory."

• 0xinfection.github.io/reversing: A tutorial that provides a basic understanding of reverse engineering. "Here is a tutorial, it's pretty basic, but should get you an idea of how it works."

Subreddits for Further Learning

• r/ExploitDev

• r/AskReverseEngineering

• r/HowToHack

These tools and resources should provide a solid foundation for anyone looking to dive into the world of reverse engineering. Remember, practice and persistence are key!