An ethical hacking USB dongle HackyPi is now being funded on Kickstarter.

  When the general public hears "hacking," they still see criminals in black hats attempting to steal the identities of innocent people. But the foundation of our whole community is the understanding that hacking is much more than that. Hardware hacking is all about playing around with consumer electronics out of curiosity and a desire to make them better. 

White hat hacking openly disapproves of criminal activities to enhance security and gain a better understanding of computer systems. If you're interested in becoming engaged in ethical hacking, the new HackyPi USB dongle was created to show you how to get started.

A recent Kickstarter campaign for HackyPi had a low funding goal of $609. The campaign has already received more than $16,000 from 444 backers, demonstrating that budding white hat hackers are interested in it. This gadget provides a straightforward and reasonably priced platform that makes it simple to practice various hacking methods. It doesn't enable individuals to rob banks or steal vehicles because it would be wrong and unlikely to happen in the first place. HackyPi only provides users with a tool to practice a few methods that can have an impact on computers that they can physically reach.

A Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, an SD card slot, and a 1.14" LCD screen are all combined on one board by HackyPi. Because the RP2040 may be configured as USB HID, a computer will recognize it as a typical keyboard or mouse. The majority of the hacks that the gadget can allow rely on that. They automatically press a number of keys or click a mouse button to instruct the computer to take a predetermined course of action. For instance, you may shut down a computer running Windows 10 or 11 by pressing Win + X, U, then U again. Any Windows PC to which HackyPi was connected would shut down if it were designed to communicate such shortcuts.

One may carry out several easy hacks, such as the one in the example above. Opening a web browser to access Gmail and send an email is one of the more fascinating ones. However, it's crucial to remember that there is very little chance of misuse. The critical press/mouse click approach is unable to perform any tasks that a user couldn't perform independently using a keyboard and mouse. Although more sophisticated hacks are feasible, contemporary operating systems are protected against unauthorized users using those well-known techniques.

The Kickstarter campaign for the HackyPi is still open through February 5th. Backers can purchase a single enclosure-equipped gadget for $25. In March, rewards should arrive.