Firmware Reverse Engineer

Median salary, education path, job outlook, and related careers — based on U.S. labor data.

What a Firmware Reverse Engineer does

Disassembles and analyzes embedded device firmware to uncover vulnerabilities, backdoors, or proprietary algorithms in hardware ranging from routers to medical devices.

Education & path

The typical entry point is a bachelor's degree. About 4 years.

Estimated cost of that path: ~$40,000. Estimated payback: ~1 year. Estimates only — actual cost varies widely by school and financial aid; payback assumes ~20% of income applied.

Related careers

• SCADA/ICS Security Specialist — $120,000/yr
• Red Team Operator — $138,000/yr
• Malware Reverse Engineer — $128,000/yr
• Digital Forensics Examiner — $88,000/yr
• Homomorphic Encryption Engineer — $155,000/yr