Harald Welte and Steve Markgraf presented at 27C3 CCC in Berlin, Germany, on the OsmocomBB project, a Free Software implementation of the GSM protocol stack running on a mobile phone. This provides the security researcher a tool equivalent to an Ethernet card in the TCP/IP protocol world: a simple transceiver that will send arbitrary protocol […]
Author Archives: the machinegeek
Reverse engineering a real-world RFID payment system
Harald Welte presented at the 27C3 CCC in Berlin, Germany, demonstrating his efforts at reverse engineering the data format of a real-world RFID based debit card system. His efforts focused on the EasyCard system, which is a popular method of cashless payment in Asia. Slides of the presentation are also available.
Nimbits
Nimbits is a free, social and open source data logging system. It provides a mechanism for recording time series data, such as a changing temperature or stock price, into a data channel called a “Data Point”. Your data is stored on a global cloud computing infrastructure that provides remarkable uptime and scalability. You can download […]
Making of the Defcon 18 badge
Joe Grand of Grand Idea Studio presents the backstory to his design of the Defcon 18 conference badge. (Joe’s talk actually begins at 09:05.) The badge is based around a Freescale MC56F8006 16-bit digital signal controller and a Kent Displays 128-by-32 pixel reflective cholesteric liquid crystal display (ChLCD). Other functionality includes USB connectivity, seamless power […]
MSP430 USB Dev Stick Giveaway
TI has a promotion giving away a limited number of the MSP430 USB Development Stick. The eZ430-F2013 is a powerful development tool that provides both the USB based programmer and F2013 development board in a small USB stick package. The flash memory can be erased and programmed in seconds with only a few keystrokes, and […]
27C3: Console hacking
What if you got a game console for Christmas but don’t like playing games? You hack it to make it run your own code of course! This talk presented by bushing at the recent Chaos Communications Congress in Berlin, Germany, talks about the various hacks that you can use to gain control of your hardware […]
27C3: Chip and Pin is broken
Smart cards have gradually replaced magnetic strip cards for point-of-sale and ATM transactions in many countries. Customers authorize a credit or debit card transaction by inserting their card and entering a PIN into a point-of-sale terminal; the PIN is typically verified by the smart card chip, which is in turn authenticated to the terminal by […]
27C3: Reverse engineering the MOS 6502
The MOS 6502 CPU, which was designed in 1975 and powered systems like the Apple II, the Atari 2600, the Nintendo NES and the Commodore 64 for two decades, has always been subject to intense reverse engineering of its inner workings. This talk by Michael Steil presents the way from a chip package to a […]
Reverse geocaching puzzle box
Here’s a twist on the old practice of geocaching: a Reverse Geocaching Puzzle Box! Alternet presents a puzzle box containing a geocache prize which only opens when it is in the correct geolocation. This fairly complex, novel project uses a PIC 18F*39 microcontroller (exact part not specified on schematic) interfaced with a 2×16 LCD to […]
Arduino EMF detector
High electromotive force/electromagnetic field (EMF) readings can cause interference with precision electronic equipment, and have even been associated with paranormal/spirit activity! DTN’s blog recently featured a project aimed at detecting high EMF levels using an Arduino Mega, showcasing its versatility beyond traditional applications. This innovative use of simple technology reminded me of the rising interest […]
BYTE Magazine downloads
As the year comes to a close we all become nostalgic for the old days. For some of us, the old days included a publication known as BYTE Magazine. BYTE was published from 1975-1998. While original issues can be costly and hard to find, thanks to ThumpNugget there is a growing PDF library of downloadable […]
VGA tester using Attiny2313
Tehnik Service presents a simple Attiny2313 project to test VGA monitors. Just the chip and a handful of discrete components are needed and the source code is provided in both assembly and a hex file, ready for download. Via PyroElectro.
FPGAs and Apples
One area of FPGA development involves the emulation of retro computers. AppleLogic is a site for hobbyists who develop FPGA cores of early Apple Computer models. Their collection of early Apple user manuals, schematics and documentation is quite impressive.
Arduino, IR remotes and X10
Here is a three-part series by basbrun progressing from analyzing IR protocol to using Arduino’s to control X10 devices via IR: Part 1 -examining the IR protocol (the USB Infrared toy could be used in this step!) Part 2 -controlling LEDs with IR remote. Part 3-controlling X10 devices with IR remote.
Traffic lights and MIRT
Why do traffic lights seem to change green whenever emergency and government vehicles approach? Through the use of various technologies, one of which involves use of a Mobile InfraRed Transmitter (MIRT). An IR sensing device like that pictured above is mounted near overhead traffic lights and senses certain IR LED pulse codes sent by approaching […]
Wireshark analysis of wireless protocols
FreakLabs has an interesting project designed to conduct sniffing of protocols that ride on top of 802.15.4 such as Zigbee and 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over 802.15.4). The project utilizes their FreakDuino platform which contains an Arduino integrated with a wireless radio. The tutorial assumes that Wireshark is installed on your computer, the Chibi or chibiArduino release […]
Microchip RF transceiver
William Dillon shares his project, including code, schematic and board file, for his RF transceiver based on the Microchip MRF49XA. Via Hack a Day
Dynamic radio spectrum utilization
Here’s an interesting paper from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia detailing Dynamic Spectrum Access Management using Cognitive Radio System. The concepts highlighted in this presentation will become increasingly important as regulators in the US and throughout the world deal with competing needs for radio spectrum, with a corresponding impact on developers and users of RF devices.
Breaking SSL on embedded devices
Developers use embedded devices all the time, often without implementing security measures. When they do, they often rely on SSL. As revealed by the LittleBlackBox project there exists a collection of thousands of private SSL keys extracted from various embedded devices. These private keys are stored in a database where they are correlated with their […]
OBDuino: car diagnostics with Arduino
The OBDuino is an in-car real-time display of various information, like speed, RPM, instant fuel consumption or average trip fuel consumption as well as others PIDs supported by the car. It reads the data from the car’s OBD-II connector, interfacing it via a MC33290 chip to the Arduino which processes the CAN data and outputs […]