Hardware Hacking | GracefulSecurity

Extracting Flash Memory using JTAG

by HollyGracefulMarch 19, 2019February 3, 2020

I previously mentioned dumping memory contents using SPI, with a BusPirate. Sometimes that’s not feasible – such as if the flash memory module is a little inaccessible and you’re not feeling like deconstructing the board just yet. An alternative is to pull memory over JTAG. I talked about accessing JTAG and interacting with a chip using OpenOCD previously, however this time around I’d like to go a step further. The board I’m using in this example is a Netgear DG834Gv1, which has an exposed JTAG, shown below on the bottom right of the board (in red):

Extracting Flash Memory over SPI

by HollyGracefulMarch 18, 2019February 3, 2020

So I’m playing around with a device right now and I’m currently pulling out the contents of its flash memory over SPI – so I figured I’d write a few notes about how to do just that! Here’s what I’m playing with, in case you’re curious:

Introduction to Radio Hacking

by HollyGracefulMarch 17, 2019February 3, 2020

Cloning basic Keyfobs using GNURadio and an SDR! Introduction In my introduction to hardware hacking, I mention that radio systems may be part of the attack surface for a hardware device penetration test. So I thought I’d give a gentle introduction to hacking with an SDR here! Firstly, what’s an SDR? It stands for software-defined radio, and refers to a category of devices which allow you to interface with radio. There are a lot of SDR devices on the market to choose from when you first get started – a RTL-SDR can be picked up for £15 and devices from …

An Introduction to Hardware Hacking

by HollyGracefulMarch 16, 2019February 3, 2020

Introduction I’m currently writing up a series on hardware hacking fundamentals, and before I get into the specifics – I thought it sensible to add a piece on why hardware security is important and to lay out the major themes of what I’ll be discussing.

JTAGulating JTAG!

by HollyGracefulMarch 16, 2019February 3, 2020

Discovering JTAG ports with the JTAGulator, and connecting to them with UM232H! What is JTAG? JTAG is short for Joint Test Action Group and generally refers to on-chip debugging interfaces that follow the IEEE 1149.x standard. The standard doesn’t mandate a certain connection – it just dictates a standard for communicating with chips in a device. It uses 5 pins: TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO and (options) TRST; which are (Test) Clock, Mode Select, Data In, Data Out, and Reset. It can be useful to hardware hackers in various ways, such as extracting device IDs, extracting firmware, overwriting memory.

Finding Serial Interfaces (UART)

by HollyGracefulMarch 16, 2019February 3, 2020

Discovering UART with the JTAGulator and connecting to it with UART PassThrough and a USB-to-UART! Introduction UART stands for Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter, however in the context of Hardware Hacking we’re generally looking for an serial interface which will give us text output from the system and possibly allow for command input. The general intention from the manufacturers point of view – is to allow easy debugging, both out of the factor (to check the system is working as intended) and if a device is returned as broken.