Today I learned all about the computer software, Simplicity Studio. Simplicity Studio is a Silicon Labs product that allows you to program and run tests on circuits or microcontrollers. Here’s the link to download the software (it’s free)- https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/simplicity-studio-version3 I had some issues getting Simplicity Studio to run in the beginning. First, I didn’t have …
Tag: U2F
Daily Update: 7/13/18
Today we worked on the continuity problem we’re having with the finished U2F tokens. After much discussion and looking at the token’s wire diagrams, it was decided that we should try taking parts out of the circuit to test the continuity. This meant that I had to learn how to desolder surface mount components- a …
Daily Update: 7/4/18
Today I worked on the blog, helped rearrange the office, opened up all our beautiful PCBs (https://blog.redkeyu2f.com/2018/07/05/u2f-token-building-the-pcbs-arrive/), and started learning about reflow ovens. Now that all our parts are here, we have to learn how to properly use our toaster oven to solder our boards. Apparently there’s quite a bit of technique to this- good …
U2F Token Building- What to Buy
We found all the parts needed to build a simple U2F security token thanks to Github. Here’s the link: https://github.com/conorpp/u2f-zero/wiki/Parts-List Basically there are 8 components per token. All should be surface mount parts. Here’s what you need: PART MANUFACTURER PART NUMBER PRICE PER WHERE TO FIND Microcontroller EFM8UB11F16G-C-QSOP24 $1.38 https://www.digikey.com/ Secure Element (Authentication chip) ATECC508A-SSHDA-B $0.75 …
The Learning Curve
Building a custom security token has a lot of learning involved- especially at the beginning. Below is a list of what I have had to research and started to learn so far. Note: I have not even started to build my actual token yet. What I’ve learned so far: Programming Basics: Statements and Functions- syntax, …
The Project
After finding a co-op, the next thing is to figure out what you’ll be working on for the next 3 months. My project? Building my own second factor authentication token. The need to protect your online accounts is an increasingly important thing. Companies often have security breaches, and passwords (no matter the length) are easily …