Reading out an EPROM – with DIP switches

We’re all too spoiled nowadays with our comfortable ways to erase and write data to persistent memory, whether it’s our microcontroller’s internal flash or some external EEPROM. Admittedly, those memory technologies aren’t exactly new, but they stem from a time when their predecessors had to bathe under ultraviolet light in order to make space for something new. [Taylor Schweizer] recently came across some of these quartz-window decorated chips, and was curious to find out what is stored in them. Inspired by the BIOS reverse engineering scene in Halt and Catch Fire, he ended up building his own simple reader …read more

Continue reading Reading out an EPROM – with DIP switches

Reading out an EPROM – with DIP switches

We’re all too spoiled nowadays with our comfortable ways to erase and write data to persistent memory, whether it’s our microcontroller’s internal flash or some external EEPROM. Admittedly, those memory technologies aren’t exactly new, but they stem from a time when their predecessors had to bathe under ultraviolet light in order to make space for something new. [Taylor Schweizer] recently came across some of these quartz-window decorated chips, and was curious to find out what is stored in them. Inspired by the BIOS reverse engineering scene in Halt and Catch Fire, he ended up building his own simple reader …read more

Continue reading Reading out an EPROM – with DIP switches

Microsoft’s October Patch Batch Fixes 62 Flaws

Microsoft on Tuesday released software updates to fix at least 62 security vulnerabilities in Windows, Office and other software. Two of those flaws were detailed publicly before yesterday’s patches were released, and one of them is already being exploited in active attacks, so attackers already have a head start. Continue reading Microsoft’s October Patch Batch Fixes 62 Flaws

Adobe Patches 59 Vulnerabilities Across Flash, Reader, Photoshop

Adobe patched 59 vulnerabilities across five different products, including Flash Player, Acrobat/Reader, Photoshop, Adobe Campaign, and its Adobe Creative Cloud App on Tuesday. Continue reading Adobe Patches 59 Vulnerabilities Across Flash, Reader, Photoshop

Hackers Take Down Reader, Safari, Edge, Ubuntu Linux at Pwn2Own 2017

On the first day of Pwn2Own 2017 hackers poked holes in Adobe Reader, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Ubuntu Linux. Continue reading Hackers Take Down Reader, Safari, Edge, Ubuntu Linux at Pwn2Own 2017

Arduino into NAND Reader

[James Tate] is starting up a project to make a “Super Reverse-Engineering Tool”. First on his list? A simple NAND flash reader, for exactly the same reason that Willie Sutton robbed banks: because that’s where the binaries are.

As it stands, [James]’s first version of this tool is probably not what you want to use if you’re dumping a lot of NAND flash modules. His Arduino code reads the NAND using the notoriously slow digital_read() and digital_write() commands and then dumps it over the serial port at 115,200 baud. We’re not sure which is the binding constraint, but neither of …read more

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Replacing a Failed Ebook Reader Battery

Resurrecting a beloved piece of tech can be a trying process when fighting through the mild heartbreak — doubly so if the product has been discontinued. When their old Sony PRS-T1 e-book reader refused to charge after leaving it on their dashboard during a hot day, [Andrea Gangemi] decided to leverage a little techno-necromancy and hack together a fix.

[Gangemi] found the problem to be a battery failure, but there was nary a replacement to be found. An old Motorola mobile phone battery ended up fitting the purpose nicely. Cracking open the e-book reader, de-soldering the old battery and — …read more

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