This class explains why UART is one of the most valuable entry points in hardware hacking. Students learn that UART, as a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter, is embedded in almost every device to provide debugging and development support. The instructor highlights how engineers often leave UART ports active and unprotected, unintentionally creating backdoors. By tapping into UART, attackers can retrieve logs, interact with bootloaders, or even gain administrative shells. The lesson also connects UART to its industrial counterparts (RS232, RS422, RS485), showing how the same concept spans from consumer electronics to critical infrastructure. By the end of the class, students see UART not just as a protocol but as a direct, low-level attack vector. This sets the stage for the rest of the module, which progressively builds from identifying pins to performing advanced exploitation.

Learning Objective
Understand the significance of UART as an attack surface and its application in embedded and OT environments.

Training Outcomes

• Recognize UART in embedded systems.

• Understand how exposed UART interfaces create security risks.

• Map UART to higher-level OT communication standards.

Hands-On Experience

• Inspect real device boards for UART presence.

• Connect to UART outputs to observe debug messages.

• Identify UART’s role in system boot processes.