Hacker Toolkit 2020: Essential Devices for Penetration Testing

By Jasper MonroeLinux Commands

Hacker Toolkit 2020: Choosing the Best Tools to Have on Hand

We’ve selected fifteen devices that let you pentest just about anything—from physical devices to contactless cards. We didn’t include more common tools like screwdrivers and soldering irons, since those are best chosen to your own taste. Hopefully, you’ll find something interesting in this list.

Raspberry Pi 4

The latest Raspberry Pi mini-computers run on quad-core ARM chips, come with 1, 2, or 4 GB of RAM, support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and feature two micro HDMI ports and four USB ports. They’re almost capable of replacing a budget office desktop, and are often used for media centers, home servers, and a variety of projects—from musical instruments to robots. But what interests us is that the Raspberry Pi can be a portable pentesting system. There’s a huge variety of cases, displays, batteries, and other accessories available. We published a detailed review of the Raspberry Pi 4 in 2019, and we can confirm that the “Pi” is definitely a must-have. By the way, revision 1.2 fixed compatibility issues with some USB-C chargers—keep that in mind.

Proxmark 3

One of the best tools for attacking contactless cards is the Proxmark3, available in several versions:

  • RDV1 – The old version, rarely found and with no special advantages.
  • RDV2 – Features an external antenna connector.
  • RDV3 – The most popular (and cheapest) model, with Chinese clones available, though they may be less stable.
  • RDV4 – The latest version, including both hardware and software for working with smart cards. It’s the most expensive model.

Proxmark can replace all similar devices, but if you’re only interested in Mifare cards, check out the Chameleon Mini.

APImote

If you’ve worked with smart home devices, you’ve probably heard of the ZigBee protocol. While it’s been around for years, there aren’t many ready-made devices for security testing. The APImote board, which works with the killerbee framework, stands out. It’s sold ready-to-use, but for DIY enthusiasts, the developers have posted KiCad schematics on GitHub.

E-Mate X

The E-Mate X kit is a great gift for anyone who often works with embedded systems or smartphones. It includes thirteen adapters for BGA-packaged non-volatile memory chips, compatible with various programmers and even SD card slots (allowing you to read memory without a programmer in some cases). Similar kits with just one adapter can cost twice as much as the E-Mate X.

MagSpoof

When working with magnetic stripe cards, many run into the same issue: a three-track card reader with write capability can cost five times more than a read-only version. The MagSpoof board was created for this purpose—it can record data from all three magnetic stripes and spoof them, effectively replacing a real card. Combined with a card reader, you’ll save money and get a full-featured device for testing access or payment systems.

O.MG Cable

The O.MG cable became famous after its creators presented it at DEFCON 2019. It contains a full-featured Rubber Ducky with Wi-Fi, allowing you to remotely send keyboard commands to a connected device. Its main advantage is that it looks just like a regular charging cable. Available in Type-C, micro-USB, and Lightning versions.

DSLogic

A logic analyzer is essential for debugging digital circuits, and the DSLogic series is known for its great price-to-quality ratio. Unlike Saleae products, DSLogic supports open-source projects like PulseView. The official site offers three models: Plus, U3Pro16, and U3Pro32. If you like soldering, look for the DSLogic Basic on AliExpress—it’s the same as the Plus, just cheaper and with less memory. Upgrading it can be a fun challenge.

FaceDancer21

The FaceDancer21 is a must-have for anyone testing payment terminals. It lets you:

  • Emulate various USB devices (e.g., create a device with a specific ID to bypass whitelists).
  • Identify which device types a USB port supports—useful for ATMs and wireless chargers (if the charger is actually a small computer port).
  • Fuzz for 0days in USB drivers.
  • Interact with USB using a Python library.

Since the board is open-source, prices vary depending on the manufacturer.

Yard Stick One

If you’ve ever tried to unlock your car by replaying the unlock signal, you’ll appreciate this device. Yard Stick One can send and receive traffic on popular frequencies (up to 1 GHz). Its key feature is the CC1111 chip, which allows hardware demodulation/modulation for better signal quality. To use Yard Stick, install the free RFCat utility.

NFC Kill

Devices for testing contactless cards are nothing new, but NFC Kill stands out. It’s primarily designed for fuzz-testing contactless reading systems, and its extra features can disable both readers and cards. It works on three frequencies: Low Frequency (125–134 kHz), High Frequency (13.56 MHz), and Ultra High Frequency (850–930 MHz). Available in Standard and Professional versions—the difference is that the Pro can run tests without physical interaction.

Bash Bunny

You’re probably already familiar with the Rubber Ducky—a device that emulates a keyboard and automatically enters malicious commands on a victim’s computer. The Bash Bunny is a more advanced HID-attack device. Besides keyboard emulation, it can act as serial devices, storage, and USB-Ethernet adapters. It’s perfect for Red Team tests and saves both money and space in your toolkit.

HydraBus

HydraBus was designed as a full replacement for the outdated BusPirate board. Its main advantages:

  • Full-featured user interface for popular hardware interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, 1–3-wire, JTAG/SWD).
  • Can be used with PulseView as a logic analyzer.
  • Python library support for easy use.
  • MicroSD slot for saving data during work.

The board costs €40–75. For an extra €110, you can add the HydraNFC module for contactless cards or the HydraLINCAN board for CAN bus work.

OpticSpy

Routers and similar devices often transmit valuable information via blinking LEDs, especially at startup. Sometimes, these LEDs are connected to data lines, like the TX pin of a UART bus. The OpticSpy board was created to capture this data without soldering or expensive logic analyzers. Just install the Python library, connect OpticSpy to your computer via USB, and point its photodiode at the light source. You can check out a demo on YouTube.

Hunter Cat

In 2019, the Hunter Cat device appeared on the market, designed to detect bank and other skimmers. It’s simple: insert it into a card slot, remove it, and check the LED. If it’s green, no skimmer is detected; otherwise, avoid using that ATM. Hunter Cat is slightly larger than a bank card and costs about $35.

nRF52840 Dongle

Last but not least is the nRF52840 USB dongle. It has many features, but two stand out. First, you can reflash it to get a full-featured Bluetooth Low Energy sniffer with a nice Wireshark plugin. Second, with the open-source LOGITacker project, you can turn it into a device for testing wireless computer peripherals like mice and keyboards. Prices start at $18, but you can find cheaper Chinese clones on AliExpress.

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