Search for the function il2cpp::vm::MetadataCache::Initialize .
: This C++ code is compiled directly into a native platform binary, such as a Windows .dll or an Android libil2cpp.so file.
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Unity stores this information in a standardized binary format located under the game's data folder: Target_Game_Data/il2cpp_data/Metadata/global-metadata.dat
Dump that specific memory range to a new file. This file is your "clean" global-metadata.dat . Summary Table Difficulty Requirement IDA Pro/Ghidra skills Memory Dumping Rooted Android/Frida Automated Dumpers Compatibility with game version Final Thoughts
This memory dump approach is also crucial for dealing with cases where the file's header signatures are intentionally destroyed. For example, a standard global-metadata.dat file starts with the magic bytes AF 1B B1 FA . An attacker might change these to 00 00 00 00 to break header-based detection. By dumping the file from memory, you get the corrected, decrypted version, which you can then fix by simply replacing the first four bytes with the standard signature.
Run Il2CppDumper and provide the native binary ( libil2cpp.so or GameAssembly.dll ) and your decrypted global-metadata.dat .
A standard, unencrypted Unity metadata file always begins with a specific "magic number" hex signature: AF 1B B1 FA . Obfuscators often change these first four bytes to arbitrary characters or zeroes. This simple trick tricks standard analysis tools into thinking the file is corrupted or invalid. 2. XOR Encryption
# Hardcoded decryption key key = b'\x12\x34\x56\x78\x90\xab\xcd\xef\x12\x34\x56\x78\x90\xab\xcd\xef'
If the file is heavily encrypted with AES or protected by proprietary anti-cheat engines, static decryption is incredibly difficult. Instead, reverse engineers let the game do the hard work. Because the CPU needs to read the unencrypted metadata to run the game, the file must exist in decrypted form within the system RAM at some point.
While primarily a dumping tool, Il2CppDumper can sometimes bypass basic obfuscation if the metadata is still structured but obfuscated. Run Il2CppDumper . Select libil2cpp.so or GameAssembly.dll . Select the global-metadata.dat file.