December 24, 2021 ❖ Tags: writeup, hardware, reverse-engineering, tc32, radare2, java
The background for this project is a lesson in avoiding dishonest vendors. Two years ago, I was looking to purchase a smart watch with sleep tracking capabilities; I've always had difficulty sleeping and wanted a way of finally quantifying that difficulty. One of my requirements was the ability to pull data off of the watch without the use of proprietary software, so the only options I was seriously considering were those on Gadgetbridge's "supported devices" list. At the time, I was still in high school, and still awed by the affordability of consumer electronics on websites such as AliExpress (woefully unaware of the ethical implications of supporting a totalitarian state's economy). Moreover, I was somewhat capable of reading and writing 汉语, so the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 fit the bill. I took to Ebay to purchase one, finding a listing for 10.99 USD with free shipping. I ordered it, and things were okay. That is, until the package arrived.
September 05, 2017 ❖ Tags: tutorial, reverse-engineering, video-games, game-hacking, x86, c++, radare2
At a first glance, it might seem that game cheats like AimTux are something that could only be conjured by the most talented of reverse engineers. That was at least my initial view on it, especially since I always saw these game hackers using outlandish terms that I hadn't heard in over a year of playing in CTF's. Don't be fooled; game hacking isn't nearly as complex as its community makes it seem. In this post, I will explain the concepts in a way that is familiar to people with experience in binary exploitation and reverse engineering, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand if you lack that background.