In the world of software development and reverse engineering, few tasks are as notoriously difficult as decompiling applications written in Visual Basic (VB). While .NET applications are relatively easy to reverse-engineer due to their intermediate language, classic Visual Basic (versions 5.0 and 6.0) and native code VB.NET applications present a unique challenge.
The jump from version 11 to 12 is not incremental. Here are the headline features:
Here's an interesting report on this powerful tool:
At its core, a decompiler performs the reverse operation of a compiler: it takes a compiled executable (EXE, DLL, or OCX) and attempts to reconstruct a high-level, human-readable source file. VB Decompiler Pro is unique because it handles the complex proprietary formats of Visual Basic, including:
Many jurisdictions (including the EU) allow reverse engineering for interoperability, but always consult a lawyer. VB Decompiler Pro 12 itself includes a warning on launch reminding users to respect copyright.