Recon 2024

GameBoy ROM Extraction
06-28, 15:30–17:30 (US/Eastern), Soprano A

The Game Boy has a mask ROM bootloader that validates the Nintendo logo in the cartridge, then disables itself before executing the cartridge memory, making it difficult to extract. In this workshop, we'll begin with a die photograph of the console's CPU, then use Mask ROM Tool to annotate and decode bits. By the end of the workshop, you will have made a ROM image suitable for emulation or disassembly.


A laptop with a modern version of Linux, Windows or macOS is required. A mouse or second monitor is nice to have, but not required. Please install the software from http://maskromtool.com/ before the workshop begins.

Travis Goodspeed is a reverse engineer of embedded systems from East Tennessee, where he has recently written a book on Microcontroller Exploits. His 1964 Studebaker with nine transistors and no firmware in the drive train, but there are always books on semiconductors in the back seat.