Predatory ESP32 Firmware
This report summarizes scanner evidence for BruceDevices/firmware, a C++ project with 6,965 GitHub stars. SynthScan examined 219,827 lines of code across 949 source files, recording 1103 pattern matches distributed across 16 syntactic categories. The legacy adjusted pattern signal is 5.9 (Moderate pattern signal); it is not an authorship estimate.
Use the findings to ask whether maintainers can explain intent, verify dependencies, simplify unnecessary scaffolding, and focus review effort. Risk Payload v1 adds ownership, supply-chain, over-engineering, and review-effort vectors when available. These are prompts for human verification, not probabilities, security findings, or measured maintenance costs.
Use each vector to guide manual verification of the underlying findings.
Can maintainers explain intent, assumptions, and trade-offs? 1031 finding(s).
Are imports declared and package/API names verified? 13 finding(s).
Are wrappers, guards, and repeated structures necessary? 64 finding(s).
Which changes need focused human review? 1103 finding(s).
This chart tracks the legacy adjusted pattern score across scan runs. Changes can reflect source changes, scan coverage, or detector/scoring versions; they do not measure AI adoption or prove that a team refactored code. Compare runs only when their scoring versions are compatible. The dashed line tracks the raw pattern-hit count.
Groups findings by configured severity weight. Severity is not a confidence estimate, security rating, or proof that a package is missing. Verify imports against the project's manifests and inspect each finding in its local design context.
This horizontal bar chart shows where configured pattern scores accumulate across directories. Treat the bars as locations to inspect, not as evidence of authorship or code quality. Use the file-level findings to decide whether a directory needs a focused ownership, dependency, complexity, or review check.
The scanner identified 1103 distinct pattern matches across 16 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a detector match to inspect in context. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.
Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the configured finding weight (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — legacy comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 score weight. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier under the legacy scoring model.
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | patch_library_conflicts.py | 61 | r'detachInterrupt\(int_pin\);', | COMMENT |
| LOW | patch_library_conflicts.py | 141 | ), | COMMENT |
| LOW | patch_library_conflicts.py | 181 | # pass POLL_COLAVOIDANCE actually runs, heavier than the lightweight TECHDETECT probe) had no | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/globals.h | 1 | #ifndef __GLOBALS__ | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/globals.h | 21 | #include <NTPClient.h> | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/globals.h | 41 | #if defined(HAS_SCREEN) | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/rotary_decoder.h | 41 | * Drop-in replacement for the RotaryEncoder library's getPosition(): | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 1 | // clang-format off | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 21 | #ifndef SAFE_STACK_BUFFER_SIZE | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 41 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 61 | #define TXLED GROVE_SDA | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 81 | #ifndef TFT_WIDTH | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 101 | #define LORA_RST -1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 121 | #define TFT_BL -1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 141 | #endif | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 181 | #undef RF_RX_PINS | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 201 | #endif | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 221 | #endif | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 241 | #endif | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/precompiler_flags.h | 261 | #ifndef SMOOTH_FONT | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/VectorDisplay.h | 41 | }; | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/VectorDisplay.h | 61 | #define ALIGN_TOP 't' | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/VectorDisplay.h | 81 | #define TFT_RED 0xF800 /* 255, 0, 0 */ | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/VectorDisplay.h | 101 | #define ILI9341_CYAN 0x07FF /* 0, 255, 255 */ | COMMENT |
| LOW | include/VectorDisplay.h | 121 | #define CL_DATUM 3 // Centre left, same as above | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/marauder-touch/pins_arduino.h | 61 | #define GPS_SERIAL_RX SERIAL_RX | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/marauder-touch/pins_arduino.h | 81 | #define NRF24_MISO_PIN SPI_MISO_PIN | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/marauder-touch/pins_arduino.h | 101 | #define SMOOTH_FONT 1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-deck/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-watch-s3/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/_New-Device-Model/pins_arduino.h | 61 | #define WCLK 43 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/_New-Device-Model/pins_arduino.h | 81 | #define CC1101_GDO0_PIN 9 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/_New-Device-Model/pins_arduino.h | 101 | #define USER_SETUP_LOADED 1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/_New-Device-Model/pins_arduino.h | 121 | #define SDCARD_SCK 40 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cardputer/pins_arduino.h | 201 | #define LED_COUNT 1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/pins_arduino.h | 61 | static const uint8_t ADC = 10; | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/pins_arduino.h | 81 | // Screen Setup | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/pins_arduino.h | 101 | #define SMOOTH_FONT 1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/pins_arduino.h | 121 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | boards/m5stack-cores3/interface.cpp | 1 | #include "core/bus_HAL.h" | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 21 | #define SDCARD_MOSI SPI_MOSI_PIN | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 41 | #define W5500_MISO_PIN SPI_MISO_PIN | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 61 | #define TFT_MOSI 19 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 81 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-ttgo/pins_arduino.h | 101 | #define RXLED 15 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-display-s3-pro/interface.cpp | 1 | #include "core/bus_HAL.h" | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 21 | #define CC1101_GDO0_PIN 16 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 41 | // Pins set on .ini file | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 61 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 81 | #define TFT_D6 45 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/lilygo-t-hmi/pins_arduino.h | 101 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 1 | #ifndef Pins_Arduino_h | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 41 | #define SDA1 LP_SDA | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 61 | // I2C | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 81 | #define TFT_HEIGHT 320 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 101 | #define SMOOTH_FONT 1 | COMMENT |
| LOW | boards/nm-cyd-c5/pins_arduino.h | 121 | #define RXLED 9 | COMMENT |
| 948 more matches not shown… | ||||
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | src/modules/wifi/wifi_recover.cpp | 18 | // ── Thermal knob ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/wifi/wifi_recover.cpp | 27 | // ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/reverseShell/reverseShell.cpp | 19 | // ── WebSocket Event Handler ──────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/reverseShell/reverseShell.cpp | 68 | // ── Setup ────────────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/reverseShell/reverseShell.cpp | 85 | // ── AP Password: bruce ───────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/reverseShell/reverseShell.cpp | 97 | // ── Web Interface ────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/reverseShell/reverseShell.cpp | 170 | // ── Main Loop ────────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.h | 6 | // ── RF Jammer modes ───────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.cpp | 22 | // ── Mode selection menu ───────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.cpp | 205 | // ── FULL POWER: Maximum duty cycle continuous TX ──────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.cpp | 276 | // ── INTERMITTENT: Varied pulse patterns + bursts ──────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.cpp | 342 | // ── NOISE STORM: CC1101 PN9 hardware random TX ───────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rf/rf_jammer.cpp | 421 | // ── FREQ SWEEP: Hop around target frequency ───────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 17 | // ── Maximum targets ─────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 20 | // ── Device type identification ──────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 28 | // ── Target structure ────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 37 | // ── HID key mapping ────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 101 | // ── DuckyScript key name entry ──────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.h | 108 | // ── Public functions ────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 20 | // ── Tuning Constants ──────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 26 | // ── Static module state ───────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 32 | // ── ASCII to HID scancode lookup table ────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 222 | // ── Helper: ASCII to HID ──────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 229 | // ── CRC16-CCITT for ESB packet validation ─────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 239 | // ── Target Management ─────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 594 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 595 | // ═══════════════ SCANNING UI ═══════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 596 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 715 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 716 | // ═══════════════ ATTACK EXECUTION ══════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 717 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 891 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 892 | // ═══════════════ TARGET LIST & ATTACK MENU ═════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 893 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 931 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 932 | // ═══════════════ MAIN MOUSEJACK MENU ══════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 933 | // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 169 | // ── DuckyScript key name table ────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 287 | // ── Fingerprinting ────────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 370 | // ── Microsoft Protocol Helpers ────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 381 | // ── Transmit with retransmission ──────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 404 | // ── Microsoft Keystroke Transmit ──────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 437 | // ── Logitech Keystroke Transmit ───────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 455 | // ── Send single keystroke (press + release) ───────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 467 | // ── Type a string as keystrokes ───────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 488 | // ── DuckyScript line parser ───────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 564 | // ── Get device type label ─────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 574 | // ── Format address as string ──────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 639 | // ── Scanning function ─────────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 742 | // ── Attack: Inject String ─────────────────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/NRF24/nrf_mousejack.cpp | 793 | // ── Attack: DuckyScript from SD Card ──────────────────────────── | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 33 | print("waiting for IR signals...", 0 , 0); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 44 | print("received:"); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 45 | print(curr_ir_signal); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 55 | print("pressed play"); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 61 | print("pressed next"); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 67 | print("pressed prev"); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 73 | print("pressed stop"); | CODE |
| HIGH⚡ | sd_files/interpreter/ir2keys.js | 77 | print("unknown button pressed"); | CODE |
| HIGH | sd_files/interpreter/dtmf.js | 35 | print("invalid digit (skipped): " + s[i]); | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | patch.py | 130 | print(f'Error: Source directory "{data_src_dir}" does not exist!') | CODE |
| LOW | patch_library_conflicts.py | 221 | except Exception as e: | CODE |
| LOW | gen_mqjs_headers.py | 73 | except Exception: | CODE |
| LOW | gen_mqjs_headers.py | 83 | except Exception: | CODE |
| LOW | gen_mqjs_headers.py | 218 | except Exception as e: | CODE |
| MEDIUM | .vscode/build_public_download.py | 91 | print(f"Error: {bin_path} not found") | CODE |
| MEDIUM | .vscode/build_public_download.py | 96 | print(f"Error: {merged_bin_path} not found") | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | patch_library_conflicts.py | 112 | ' if (isr_active && int_pin < 0) { return; }\n' | CODE |
| HIGH | patch_library_conflicts.py | 140 | ' } while (int_pin >= 0 && digitalRead(int_pin) == HIGH);' | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | src/modules/others/mic.h | 6 | is set So we need to check if the pin was set as Input, lock its state and reset it after finish the | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 649 | // Step 1: Perform click | COMMENT |
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 654 | // Step 2: Check if target reached (immediate check) | COMMENT |
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 660 | // Step 3: Update statistics every second | COMMENT |
| LOW | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 671 | // Step 4: Responsive delay with user interrupt check | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 649 | // Step 1: Perform click | COMMENT |
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 654 | // Step 2: Check if target reached (immediate check) | COMMENT |
| LOW⚡ | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 660 | // Step 3: Update statistics every second | COMMENT |
| LOW | src/modules/others/clicker.cpp | 671 | // Step 4: Responsive delay with user interrupt check | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | sd_files/interpreter/dino_game.js | 375 | groundX = 0; // Reset position for seamless looping | CODE |
| MEDIUM | src/core/serial_commands/rf_commands.cpp | 166 | // --- /mfcodes management on LittleFS (single-line, robust) ------------------ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | src/modules/rfid/ST25R3916.cpp | 2562 | // Re-select before moving to the next sector (fresh first-auth is more robust). | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | build.py | 84 | except ValueError: | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | embedded_resources/web_interface/index.js | 1166 | function updateShowHideNavigatingButton() { | CODE |
| LOW | sd_files/interpreter/M5stickcplus2_arcade-games.js | 362 | function drawBreakoutGameOverScreen() { | CODE |
| LOW | sd_files/interpreter/M5stickcplus2_arcade-games.js | 398 | function drawBreakoutNextLevelScreen() { | CODE |
| LOW | sd_files/themes/Theme_Builder.html | 858 | function updateUnassignedImagesDisplay() { | CODE |
| LOW | src/modules/wifi/evil_portal.h | 10 | class CaptiveRequestHandler : public AsyncWebHandler { | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | lib/TFT_eSPI/README.md | 15 | 4. An excellent new compatible library is available which can render TrueType fonts on a TFT screen (or into a sprite). | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | sd_files/BadUSB and BlueDucky/Ducky-en.html | 497 | <font size="2" style="color:#bbbdba"><i><mark>GUI</mark> is used for both: the <mark>WINDOWS(⊞)</mark> key on | CODE |
| MEDIUM | sd_files/BadUSB and BlueDucky/Ducky-en.html | 516 | <font size="2" style="color:#bbbdba"><i><b><u>ONLY</u></b> on <b>Windows</b>: <mark>CTRL-ALT</mark> is the same as | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | patch.py | 122 | CODE | |
| LOW | build.py | 45 | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | patch.py | 66 | # Read the file in chunks to avoid memory issues | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | patch_library_conflicts.py | 1 | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | sd_files/themes/Theme_Builder.html | 675 | placeholder.className = 'placeholder'; | CODE |