this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
36 points (92.9% liked)

Linux

54516 readers
762 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Im currently trying to get my Keyboards software to work on linux, but since that won‘t be a thing, like ever, im trying to Reverse engineer the software in order to copy the get and set requests the Software sends over USB and send them over a Python Script using libUSB, so I can control it independent of OS

So I set up my Wireshark with a USB snooper and started using the software

Only problem: Since I have no idea how a Keyboard usually communicates, so I have no idea what to look for. Can someone recommend me some already reverse engeneered FOSS Keyboard software as an example? (Like the wooting software, if its even OSS)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Unless the vendor is rolling something super custom, for the communication TO the keyboard, it should use USB HID.

Start Wireshark, filter for hid, connect the KB and the first message should be a HID descriptor of the KB, look for Output Reports (it's meant from the POV of the usb master) or Feature Reports.
Though, this will probably not yield much insight - vendors love to do the easy thing, reserve opaque 32x8 bytes as a "downlink" Output communication in the Vendor Usage Page and stuff their own protocol/encoding in there.

On linux I can recommend hid-tools for working with this, in windows I believe your only solution is Wireshark.

https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/blog/hid-report-descriptors/

Happy Hacking!

E: About the already reversed software, for logitech (and more) stuff, there is piper but you will want to look into the underlying daemon libratbag, there is also solaar