USB Nugget & Retia.io
Helping a nonprofit build open-source hardware that teaches people how hacking actually works
I volunteer with Retia.io, a nonprofit started by Kody Kinzie that makes open-source hardware to teach people cybersecurity. The bet behind it is simple: the fastest way to understand an attack is to hold the tool that does it and program it yourself.
The one I’ve spent the most time around is the USB Nugget — a small ESP32-S2 board that ships preloaded with BadUSB firmware. Plug it into a computer and it can pretend to be a keyboard and type out whatever payload you’ve written, which is exactly how a lot of real USB attacks work. It has a little screen, a few buttons, and WiFi, and you program it in Python, so someone who’s never touched hardware can still get something running on it.
Retia open-sources most of what they design, and you can flash any of the supported projects straight from your browser at nugget.dev. If you want to start poking at this stuff yourself, the kits at retia.io are a good place to begin.