There are plenty of uses for the Raspberry Pi, but using it as a hacking tool may not be the first thing you think of when you look at this handy SBC. However, it's entirely possible to build and use your very own ethical hacking tool for your toolbox. If you want to see if your network's security is holding out alright, or you just want to perform some fun hacking challenges, here are some fun ways to use a Raspberry Pi to get cracking.
These tools, while powerful, are meant to be used in an ethical manner to teach people or test your own hardware. Do not create these projects and use them to hack into random devices that other people own. If you want to hack someone else's devices, always ensure they give you explicit consent before you start.
3 This ethical hacking project turns a Raspberry Pi 5 into something straight out of Cyberpunk
Hacking tools have to look the part
The project that inspired this article, this cool project began its life as a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ device. However, the creator went back and tweaked it after the release of the Raspberry Pi 5 to make use of the new hardware. After all, the Raspberry Pi 5 can get the job done much faster with its improved hardware, so it seemed like a no-brainer:
Compared to the Raspberry Pi 3 B+, the Raspberry Pi 5 gives you all of these upgrades: a 2.4 GHz quad-core processor that's three to four times faster, way more RAM (2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, or 16 GB), a faster microSD card slot, Bluetooth 5.0, gigabit ethernet with high-speed PoE+ support, a PCI Express slot for additional expansion, a UART header for serial communication, an on/off button, dual 4K display support at 60 Hz, a built-in real-time clock (RTC), and more.
Unfortunately, there are some things the Pi 5 doesn't do out of the box that the Pi 3 B+ can, but after a bit of tweaking, you'll have a device that can churn through cryptography attacks three times faster than its older brother. If you're interested, check out the Null Byte website for more details.
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The Raspberry Pi 5 is one of the most powerful consumer-grade SBCs out there. Sadly, its limited stock means you'll have a hard time finding one.
2 This Raspberry Pi hacking tool is what the Flipper One could have been
So there's a pretty great hacking tool called the Flipper Zero, and there were whispers about a Flipper One coming out. But then the rumors went away, and then came back again, and then went away again, so who knows where that is?
In the meantime, there's the Hackbat. The designer had a specific goal in mind when making it:
The tools used by [cybersecurity] engineers can be expensive and, on many occasions, the tools don't fit exactly with the requirements that engineers need. In this project, I want to present an open-source hardware platform with some tools used in cybersecurity, especially in pen testing.
To achieve this, they found a way to put a Raspberry Pi RP2040 to good use alongside some open-source code. The end result is a pen testing tool that won't set you back a lot of money, and you know exactly what it's doing. Seems like a win-win to me.
Flipper Zero: What it is, how you can use it
The Flipper Zero is a swiss army knife of hacking tools, and it can do so much that you wouldn't expect.
1 The Hackberry Pi gives hackers a hardware keyboard to get the job done
Looks stylish, too
The Hackberry Pi combines several of my favorite things: ethical hacking, Raspberry Pis, and the design of a Blackberry. The end result is a nice device that can run a full operating system and has a trackpad and a physical keyboard to make hacking easier.
Under the hood is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2w and a Nokia BL-5C battery that you can hot-swap within ten seconds without the power going out. It displays everything on a 4" 720X720 high-resolution TFT display and has three USB 2.0 ports to make it a hacker's best friend. You can check out how to make your own on the Hackberry Pi GitHub page.
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Making hacking tools out of SBCs
While Raspberry Pis are perfect for small hobbyist projects, they're also the perfect fit for more specialist products. If you're thinking of getting a security tool, why not consider making a Raspberry Pi-powered one and take some ownership over the devices you use?