Minino ESP32-C6 board is designed for IoT security and penetration testing

Minino security tool is a kitty-shaped ESP32-C6 powered cybersecurity device for analyzing 2.4GHz communications and probing IoT devices. It supports Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi 6, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter, and has a dedicated GNSS radio for receiving signals from various satellite constellations. Minino is compatible with CatSniffer analysis tools and Wireshark software, and can log packet captures on a microSD card. These features make this suitable for applications like assessing IoT device security, network analysis, and wireless protocol research.

We have previously written about similar IoT security and pen testing tools like the ESP8266 and ATmega32U4-based Diabolic Drive, the ESP32 Marauder Pocket Unit v2, the ThingPulse Pendrive S3, and many others, feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic.

Minino security tool specifications

Wireless Module – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1U
- SoC – ESP32-C6
  - CPU
    - Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz
    - Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz
  - Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16KB low power SRAM
  - Storage – 320KB ROM, and 4MB flash
  - Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread. Matter compatible.
- Onboard U.FL connector for external antenna
Storage – MicroSD card slot
Display – Generic 0.96-inch OLED display with 128×64 resolution
BDS/GNSS – ATGM336H whole constellation positioning and navigation module, needs an external antenna to operate.
USB – 1x USB Type-C port
I/Os (Through hole 2.54mm pads on board, header pins need to be soldered)
- 1 x GPIO
- 1 x I2C
- 1 x UART
Misc
- On Off switch
- Navigation button
- Power LED
- RESET and BOOT buttons
Power Supply – Powered by three AAA batteries or the USB-C port
Dimensions – Not Mentioned

Upon close inspection, I found out that the company provides two variants of the board one with ESP32-S3 and the other with ESP32-C6, but this is not confirmed by the company, and only displayed in one of the product photos, maybe they used that for testing only.

The GPS and the ESP32 modules used to design this board both have a U.FL connector and require an external antenna to operate properly so once the antennas are connected it looks like a cat’s whiskers.

Minino supports multiple wireless protocols and can sniff network traffic. It is compatible with tools like Pycatsniffer and Wireshark, which are used for data packet analysis. Other than that, this device can also do packet capture and save that data as .pcap files on a microSD card. It is open-source and open hardware, allowing for customization and modifications. It also supports OTA so the firmware can be updated easily and efficiently. It also can be used as a WarDriving device for mapping local networks.

The source code for the Minino security tool can be found on Minino’s GitHub repo. The Pycatsniffer, multiprotocol Sniffing, and other tools can be found on the PWNLab MX GitHub repo. You can also follow Electronic Cats and PWNLab MX on X (formerly Twitter) to stay updated about the latest developments.

The Minino security tool is currently available for preorder with a $35 price tag and can be purchased from the Electronics Cats store, the company mentions that the product will start shipping from August 8th, or you can directly pick it up on DEFCON32.

Is Minino real? Yes! Are you ready? Pre-sale now!! https://t.co/zHNsCalRLq pic.twitter.com/y4GmD5H7SB

— Electronic Cats (@electronicats) July 9, 2024

Via Hackster.io

Debashis Das

Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication