WS6 - Hecate: A Trivial UART Tool

Instructed by: “mx”

Level of Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate

Abstract:

Hecate is an open source UART implant framework designed to make common hardware hacking tasks easy with minimal code. It turns any CircuitPython microcontroller into a powerful, customizable UART implant.

In this workshop, you'll get to use all the core features of Hecate and see how they work against multiple target devices. We'll start hands-on by listening to a device's UART output, and then configuring Hecate to operate in standalone mode and log that UART data to a file. Once we've seen it in action, we'll step back for a bit of lecture about UART, what it's used for, and what we designed Hecate to be capable of. Armed with this knowledge, you'll dive into two more hands-on labs: a payload dropper that will playback a custom transaction and a simple detector that will signal an alert when it detects a pattern. We'll reconvene for a last bit of lecture on how to use some of Hecate's advanced features, before you dive into the final lab: implement a full implant-in-the-middle capable of modifying UART data in flight.

Hecate makes developing embedded implants trivial, while remaining flexible enough for advanced research and rapid prototyping. You'll walk away with hands-on experience using the Hecate framework and a working understanding of what's possible with UART interception, manipulation, and exploitation

Pre-Requisites:

Familiarity with python will be very helpful. UART fundamentals will be covered but a base understanding will also be helpful.