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The hardware seems like the least interesting thing from my pov. Cramming an SDR and microcontroller/pi into any sort of box isn't rocket science. We don't even

The hardware seems like the least interesting thing from my pov. Cramming an SDR and microcontroller/pi into any sort of box isn't rocket science. We don't even know if the screen works, but if it booted a playable GameBoy emulator then I'd be far more interested. Everything built into a cartridge that was bootable/playable with a stock GameBoy would really impress... The bigger question to me, is what they're broadcasting to manage this. A targeted MITM or replay attack is one thing, and they've been reported in the past. This device seems capable of brute forcing in seconds though; and if it's that easy, surely the manufacturer is culpable? Tangentially related to the first point, I wonder if there's any Android phone-type devices with a user programmable SDR built in. There used to be some handsets with analogue ham radios (2m/70cm) so smartphone+sdr seems the next logical step.

jeroenhd 5y ago
I'm not aware of any SDR smartphones for the commercial market. They'd be practically unsellable because of regulations anyway. I'm sure you can hide a small SDR board into something like a Pinephone, though. You don't need the entire frequency range, only the frequencies your targets use, so you can cut down significantly on complex parts.
SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
> Cramming an SDR and microcontroller/pi into any sort of box isn't rocket science. It's most likely protective camouflage. A young man holding what looks like a Nintendo device on the street will attract very little attention, whereas custom hardware might. In fact people might pay less attention to the holder. It's interesting, in the sense of the idea that if you want people to pay absolutely no attention to you, put on a high-vis vest and carry a clipboard.
cjrp 5y ago
I wondered if there was more to it than the article said; perhaps another device near the house relaying the keyless-entry signal to this Gameboy.

jeroenhd 5y ago

I'm not aware of any SDR smartphones for the commercial market. They'd be practically unsellable because of regulations anyway. I'm sure you can hide a small SDR board into something like a Pinephone, though. You don't need the entire frequency range, only the frequencies your targets use, so you can cut down significantly on complex parts.

SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago

> Cramming an SDR and microcontroller/pi into any sort of box isn't rocket science. It's most likely protective camouflage. A young man holding what looks like a Nintendo device on the street will attract very little attention, whereas custom hardware might. In fact people might pay less attention to the holder. It's interesting, in the sense of the idea that if you want people to pay absolutely no attention to you, put on a high-vis vest and carry a clipboard.

cjrp 5y ago

I wondered if there was more to it than the article said; perhaps another device near the house relaying the keyless-entry signal to this Gameboy.