File FormatsAlso called: "binary data", "binary file"
Binary formats store data efficiently but sacrifice human readability.
Characteristics
- Non-human-readable (appears as gibberish in text editors).
- Compact storage (smaller file sizes).
- Precise data types (integers, floats stored natively).
- Faster parsing than text formats.
Common binary formats
- Executables: .exe, .dll, .so
- Images: .png, .jpg, .gif
- Documents: .pdf, .docx, .xlsx
- Archives: .zip, .tar.gz, .7z
- Databases: SQLite, LMDB
- Media: .mp3, .mp4, .avi
Analysis tools
- Hex editors (HxD, 010 Editor).
- File command (Unix).
- Binary diff tools.
- Reverse engineering tools (IDA, Ghidra).
Security considerations
- Malware often uses binary formats.
- File signature verification important.
- Execution risks from unknown binaries.
- Steganography can hide data in binaries.