Duration:

5 Days

Course Objective:

This course provides intensive hands-on experience building, configuring and utilizing single board computers (SBCs) like the Raspberry Pi (and others) for use in Electronic Warfare (EW) scenarios. Once completed, students will be able to implement a large variety of various SBC setups to achieve their specific use cases. This course is designed to be customizable for your needs, with an emphasis on edge-case, non-standard, implementations that are required by EW operator Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP).

Audience:

This course is available to law enforcement and US government personnel only.

Prerequisites:

Students attending this course will get the most from it if they have the following:

  • Basic Networking Knowledge
    • Core understanding of IP addressing, subnets, and basic networking concepts.
    • Some familiarity with network devices such as routers, switches, and 802.11 wireless access points.
    • Knowledge of common network protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS) and services.
  • Basic Linux command-line (CLI) experience (e.g., file management, navigation, basic scripting).
    • Familiarity with common Linux tools and commands (e.g., ls, cd, sudo, nano/vim).
  • Some exposure to Secure Shell (SSH)
    • Understanding of SSH for remote access
    • Common network monitoring/diagnostic tools.
    • Some familiarity with nmap is helpful but not mandatory.

Course Topics:

  • Introduction to Embedded Systems and Remote Management
    • Embedded systems and applications in networking and cryptologic systems.
    • Remote management principles and common use cases.
    • Differences between embedded systems and traditional computing.
  • Operating System Basics and Installation on Embedded Devices
    • Common OS options for embedded systems (Raspberry Pi OS, Debian-based systems).
    • Installation and configuration on Raspberry Pi and similar SBC devices.
    • Setup best practices: quality of life, users, SSH, and security essentials.
  • Networking for Embedded Systems
    • IP networking with embedded systems.
    • Introduction to and configuration of DHCP, DNS, and static IP configuration.
    • Configuration of WLAN and LAN connectivity.
  • Setting Up and Securing Remote Access
    • Secure Shell (SSH) and secure remote access methods.
    • SSH key management: key generation, distribution, and storage.
    • Secure remote access via port forwarding, reverse SSH tunnels, and VPNs.
  • Thin Client Configuration and Remote Control Tools
    • Using thin client tools (e.g., VNC).
    • Bandwidth and latency considerations for thin clients.
    • Terminal-based remote management options and considerations.
  • Network and System Infrastructure Requirements
    • System and network infrastructure requirements for remote control.
    • Assessing data throughput and network latency for effective system management.
    • Troubleshooting connectivity issues and ensuring consistent performance, especially over slow(er) links.
  • Data Throughput and Cryptologic System Needs
    • Cryptologic system requirements and considerations for data transmission.
    • Encryption and secure communication protocols.
    • Assessing and monitoring data throughput requirements for different operations.
  • Working with Servers and Remote Management Architectures
    • Server setups for remote equipment control.
    • Configuring servers (e.g., Digital Ocean, AWS EC2) for remote monitoring and management.
  • Network Monitoring Basics and Device Diagnostics
    • Network monitoring tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) for embedded systems.
    • Capturing and analyzing network traffic relevant to remote equipment management.
    • Device diagnostics and common troubleshooting techniques.