Reverse engineering, in the context of electronics, is the process of analyzing a device's hardware or software without having access to its design or schematic information. The goal is to understand the device's functionality, design, and potential vulnerabilities.

The motivations for PCB reverse engineering are not necessarily nefarious. Companies that own products or complete designs through commercial acquisitions often require this service. Documentation may be poor or missing, but since the board is a fusion of all design documents, close inspection can peel back the layers (sometimes figuratively) to recreate the design and potentially prepare it for new revisions. The practice is rarely a one-shot, but rather reflects the prototyping process, which perhaps unsurprisingly is the opposite.

Reverse engineering is used for various purposes. In competitive analysis, companies reverse engineer products to understand competitors' technology. In cybersecurity, it's used to find vulnerabilities in hardware or software. In repair and maintenance, understanding a product's design helps in troubleshooting.