Hacking_and_Penetration_Testing_with_Low_Power_Devices

CHAPTER
Meet the beagles
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INFORMATIONINTHISCHAPTER:
• Open hardware
• BeagleBoard-xM—open hardware desktop replacement
• BeagleBone—for when microcontrollers are not powerful enough
• BeagleBone Black—best of both worlds
INTRODUCTION
Imagine using a device that you find indispensable, something that you might use
every day. Now, imagine that you have come up with an improvement. Most of
the devices that you use are protected by patents and copyrights. Furthermore, in
the United States, it is potentially illegal to figure out how something works, a process
known as reverse engineering. Many companies insert anti-reverse engineering
clauses in their end-user license agreements (EULA) in order to discourage reverse
engineering of their products. Concerned about legal issues, you forget about your
innovation and life goes on with a device that is okay, but could be better.
There are some in the world, this author included, that find this scenario unacceptable.
Imagine a better world in which you can find out everything you wish
to know about any device, a place where designs are fully documented and can
be freely used to improve or modify a device, and a land in which a design could
even be completely embedded inside a new design without fear of lawsuits. You have
just entered the world of open hardware (sometimes known as open-source
hardware).
Open hardware allows society as a whole to advance at a quicker pace. There are
open prototyping platforms such as the Arduino (http://arduino.cc), open 3-D
printers (i.e., http://reprap.org), and even open satellites. Making a hardware design
open increases the number of people who might come up with improvements. While
it may seem counterintuitive, companies designing and manufacturing open hardware
can be profitable. One need only look at the Arduino project with its scores
of projects and strong community support to see what a successful open hardware
project can look like. Open hardware designs can showcase the capabilities of various
hardware components.
Hacking and Penetration Testing with Low Power Devices
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