Researchers Revive 2000s ‘Blinkenlights’ Technique to Dump Smartwatch Firmware via Screen Pixels

Cybersecuritynews •Tushar Subhra Dutta • December 12, 2025

Security researchers have successfully extracted firmware from a budget smartwatch by bringing back a 20-year-old attack method originally used to steal data from network devices. The technique, known as “Blinkenlights,” was adapted to work with modern TFT screens instead of traditional LED indicators. Quarkslab analysts purchased a cheap smartwatch for approximately €12 from a local […]

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Researchers Revive 2000s ‘Blinkenlights’ Technique to Dump Smartwatch Firmware Security researchers have successfully extracted firmware from a budget smartwatch using a revived technique from the 2000s called 'Blinkenlights.' This method, originally designed for network devices, has been adapted to exploit modern TFT screens. Analysts from Quarkslab purchased a smartwatch for approximately €12 to demonstrate this vulnerability. 2 sources 24

Researchers Revive 2000s ‘Blinkenlights’ Technique to Dump Smartwatch Firmware via Screen Pixels

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Extracted Entities

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Platforms (3)