F-BOMB $50 computer is designed to hack secure networks

Jan. 31, 2012 (2:18 pm) By: Sal Cangeloso

With the upcoming release of the Raspberry Pi $25 computer, cheap PCs are all the rage. Even the security industry is getting in on the fun with the recent unveiling of the Falling or Ballistically-launched Object that Makes Backdoors. The so-called F-BOMB (a name that was devised after the acronym, if I've ever seen one) is a DARPA-backed, $50 PC that is designed to infiltrate networks that are under investigation.

The F-BOMB was first put on display at the Shmoocon conference last week, by its developer Brendan O'Connor. The system was designed to be left in a area or dropped by air, at which point it can hack into the local wireless network. If it's outfitted with a GPS module the F-BOMB will be able to report its location, ostensibly acting as a tracking beacon of sorts.

Of course devices already exist that can do all the above, but the key to the F-BOMB is that it costs $50 and is made out of off-the-shelf components. Government departments that use surveillance products might seem to have limitless budgets, but cost is still a factor, especially if the devices will not be recovered and reused.

Forbes reports that the F-BOMB uses 8GB of flash storage and has a built-in antenna of some sort. It is said be based on the Pogoplug, Cloud Engines' networking product can turn any USB drive into a network-attached storage device. The Pogoplug is, in turn, based on the SheevaPlug, a wall-wart computing platform that has been backed by Marvell. Parts on the platform are inexpensive, readily available, versatile, and easy to work with, making them an ideal choice for the product.