The Benefits of Hacking Embedded Devices
- Dec 14, 2007
Like this article? We recommend
Introduction
Today’s IT professional has a plethora of technology tools for solving complex problems. Whether the focus is security, networking, or systems administration, the choices are truly endless: high-end multi-processor, multi-core servers; laptops that run both Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously; endless selections of "live CDs" that allow you to boot Linux in various configurations; and, of course, embedded devices.
Embedded devices come in many different shapes, sizes, platforms, and software configurations. Whether you’re a penetration tester or a network administrator for a small (or large) organization, embedded devices are available to help you solve problems in new and exciting ways. But you probably can’t just buy an off-the-shelf embedded device and expect it to do exactly what you need it to do—you’ll likely have to customize the firmware on the device (called "hacking" the device) to get it to perform the tasks you need. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of hacking embedded devices, along with some of the hardware and firmware options for the process.
