What is IoT Hacking?

The word “hacking” as it pertains to hardware is often misused. In the commonly accepted definition, “hardware hacking” means modifying a piece of existing electronics to use it in a way that it was not necessarily intended. Even that definition is vague, as it can refer to any method of modifying hardware, be it the enclosure, the electronics, or the behavior. Modifying an enclosure of a device is usually straightforward; drill a hole, cut a slot, etc. But hacking the electronics and/or behavior is a complicated subject in itself. When looking to modify a device, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, and what angle of attack to take when hacking something for a purpose for which it was not designed.visit IOT online training

If you’re looking to hack a piece of hardware, how you approach the hack depends on what you’re trying to do. Are you trying to make it wireless? Are you trying to change what it displays? Are you trying to get it to trigger another device? Each hack requires a different angle of attack, and it’s difficult to decide on how to proceed if you’ve never hacked a device before. What follows are some common methods of hardware hacking and the implementations in which they are used. This is not, by any means, a “how to hack hardware” tutorial. Such an article could not exist in a complete form. The nature of hacking insists that there is always a new creative way to a solution, but these are some common methods that I’ve used in my experiences.

Patching into I/O

This is one of the easiest method where you concentrate on tinkering on the I/O of the hardware by exploring the buttons, screens and other i/o peripherals. Here connecting transmitters (data) that will transmit status of certain points, but passing signals along the original path will do the work.

e.g. Machines have an emergence switch. One can rewire to pass the switch through a GSM modem, that would give an SMS update when the switch is pressed.

With access to button pads, you can attach your own button, relay, or transistor circuit to control it with your own hardware. For example, if you wanted to make a device wireless, you can connect your wireless device directly to the button pads to drive the button signal high or low depending on what the wireless device receives. I see this kind of implementation all the time.With access to the LED pads on a device, you have a reliable output source from the device.IOT online training Bangalore 

Replacing Components:

This method is often used in Circuit Bending. The user wants the device to sound different, so he or she replaces a component (usually experimentally) to get a different sound out of a device. This kind of approach isn’t relegated to Circuit Bending, though. A lot of interesting hacks have been achieved by replacing a component.

This would not lead to an IoT based result, but would definitely be considered in hardware tweaking.

The Logic Analyser

One can gather a lot of “private” data from a device with the use of a simple logic analyzer. To do this, one finds an interesting chip or test point on a circuit board, connects a logic analyzer, and then runs the device. The logic analyzer will record any signals occurring on the lines it’s sniffing, and that data can potentially be translated into something useful. This data can be transmitted to an analytical platform for future number crunching.

JTAG Hex Dump (Voodoo)

When an electronic device is manufactured, it must be programmed with firmware at some point. The same port through which a device is programmed can also be used to disassemble and hack the firmware. Many microcontrollers have a memory dump feature that can be triggered through its programming port that allows a user to read the full memory (in hex) of the chip. Many devices include a feature that “locks” the device so that it cannot be read or reprogrammed once it is flashed, but many device manufacturers do not implement this feature, leaving their products susceptible to firmware hacking.IOT online course Bangalore

In order to hack firmware through a programming port, one must:

Identify the device and if it has the capability to dump its memory

Build or buy a programmer that can receive this memory dump and transmit to a computer

Get the hex dump from the chip with the programmer

Disassemble the hex into assembly language

Once the hacker has the assembly language, he or she is looking at the firmware. From there one can modify the firmware file to one’s own ends, changing variables and registers to change the behavior of the device. Then the hacker recompiles the firmware into hex, and reprograms the device with the hacked firmware. This is an advanced method of hardware hacking, but can provide the most effective (or entertaining) results. IOT online course