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Embedded CNO

Learn the fundamental concepts, tools, and techniques required to perform proper testing of CNO tools for verification and validation.
 
5-Day Course
Hands-On Experience
Automated Testing Focus
Hardware-in-the-Loop
 

Course Description

The Embedded CNO course introduces hardware hacking to students with prior software CNO knowledge. Learn to exploit both physical and emulated embedded systems. Using hands-on tools and techniques, students will work through each step of the hardware hacking process on four different platforms. Course explores how to communicate with devices using industry-standard serial and testing protocols, and learn to extract, reverse engineer, and modify firmware from several common platforms. Developed by a team of computer engineers and embedded developers, the course uses QEMU to emulate devices for safe practice. Students will also gain a high-level understanding of physical exploitation techniques like fault injection and side channel attacks, and may even get to practice them in a lab environment.

🎁 Included Take-Home Physical Kit ($500+ Value): All students receive a professional physical hardware hacking toolkit to utilize during classroom practical labs and keep for post-training work. Targets and equipment include a Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB RAM, 128GB SD card & chassis), Raspberry Pi Pico 2, ICESugar-nano FPGA, Travel Router, Dancing Cactus, Crypto Wallet, USB Logic Analyzer, Digital Multimeter, FTDI Serial Adapter, Pomona SOIC Clip, and prototyping peripherals.


Prerequisites


• Strong programming skills in C and Python are required.
• Comfort with reverse engineering software using Ghidra.


What You Will Learn


Master hands-on skills in hardware hacking and firmware analysis essential for today’s cybersecurity landscape, especially with the growth of IoT and embedded devices.
Interact with communication protocols including SPI, I2C, UART, and JTAG, utilizing professional equipment like logic analyzers and digital multimeters.
Explore safe device emulation using QEMU to practice reverse engineering and modifying platform firmware without physical risk.
Examine advanced hardware attacks such as physical voltage fault injection, side-channel analysis, JTAG manipulation, and RTOS security.


Daily Agenda


Day 1: Embedded Fundamentals & Target Enumeration

Definition of an embedded system, overview of course tools, PCB analysis, target enumeration concepts, and an in-depth Raspberry Pi Pico deep dive with practical labs.

Day 2: Protocol Analysis & Firmware Exploitation

SPI and I2C flash memory labs, bootloader overview, file systems and flash memory dumps lecture & labs, and a multi-part travel router firmware reverse engineering and exploitation lab.

Day 3: Target Emulation & Digital Logic

Dancing Cactus enumeration and PCB analysis, introduction to device emulation using QEMU labs, and an introduction to Verilog and digital logic.

Day 4: FPGA Design & Peripherals

Introduction to FPGAs, designing embedded systems with physical peripherals, and FPGA-based hardware acceleration.

Day 5: Advanced Hardware Attacks & Final Exam

Advanced topics in hardware hacking attack techniques, physical crypto wallet voltage fault injection lab, JTAG and RTOS security lectures, concluding with the final exam and certification.