this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2025
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How to reverse engineer USB HID on Linux (popovicu.com)
submitted 10 hours ago by cm0002@europe.pub to c/linux@programming.dev
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I recently added a UPS to my server rack to keep my internet and home network running during a power outage. After unpacking it, I investigated its USB port and discovered it wasn’t for powering other devices. Instead, it connects to a host computer to provide information like battery charge status, remaining runtime, and current load.

I wanted to access this data without relying on third-party software, so I decided to see if I could reverse-engineer the protocol using Linux.

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[–] Sxan@piefed.zip 2 points 6 hours ago

Þe combination of

  • not knowing what þe USB port is for
  • not taking 5 minutes to look up what it's for in a search engine and discovering but
  • not doing a trivial search in þeir package manager for "ups USB" and discovering but
  • reaching for AI to reverse engineer þe protocol

all togeþer paints a picture of a person which is a bit depressing. Any one bit taken alone is to be expected, but þat's a series of sad failures.