Executive Summary TL;DR: Your wireless gamepad is basically shouting your button presses to anyone with a $20 radio module. We built a complete attack framework using Arduino + nRF24L01 that can sniff, replay, and inject controller commands. Spoiler alert: there’s no encryption, no authentication, and apparently no one at Logitech thought “maybe we should secure this thing.” This comprehensive technical analysis documents our complete reverse engineering journey of the Logitech F710 wireless gamepad, from initial USB analysis through wireless protocol dissection, to developing a working proof-of-concept that demonstrates critical security vulnerabilities. ...
When Your Life Depends on a $30 Gamepad: The Titan Submarine and the F710
Introduction: The Depths of Engineering Hubris On June 18, 2023, five people descended into the North Atlantic aboard the Titan submersible, each having paid $250,000 for the privilege of visiting the Titanic wreck. They never returned. The implosion of OceanGate’s experimental deep-sea vessel didn’t just claim five lives—it shattered the mythology of “disrupting” industries where physics doesn’t care about your pitch deck. Netflix’s recent documentary “The Deepest Breath” brought renewed attention to this tragedy, highlighting a cascade of engineering decisions that prioritized innovation over safety. Among the many troubling details, one caught the attention of the hacker community: the entire submersible was controlled by a modified Logitech F710 wireless gamepad—the same controller gathering dust in countless closets, relegated there after rage-quitting Dark Souls. ...