ESCS_VM (WireSploit)

Installer for a ready-to-use Ubuntu desktop VM aimed at firmware analysis, reverse engineering, serial/UART work, and hardware flashing/debug.

It configures the VM (hostname, theme, udev rules, hardware groups) and installs a curated toolset with categorized desktop shortcuts under ~/Desktop/Tools/.

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Recommended OS

Use Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) — Desktop image (AMD64).

Download from the official release page:

https://releases.ubuntu.com/jammy/

Recommended file:

• ubuntu-22.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso

Create a VM (VirtualBox, VMware, etc.), install Ubuntu from that ISO, then continue below inside the guest.

Prefer the Desktop image so GNOME themes, wallpaper, and Apps-menu launchers work. Disable Secure Boot in the VM firmware if you plan to use unsigned USB/JTAG drivers.

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Requirements

• Fresh or existing Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS desktop install
• Internet access (packages and some tools are downloaded during install)
• sudo privileges
• Enough disk space for heavy tools (Ghidra, QEMU, EMBA, FACT, etc.) — several GB free recommended

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Quick install

1. Clone or copy this repository onto the Ubuntu VM.
2. Open a terminal in the repo directory.
3. Run:

chmod +x install.sh preinstall.sh install-launchers.sh tools/*.sh
sudo ./install.sh

An interactive checklist appears (SPACE to toggle, ENTER to confirm). Preinstall and all active tools are selected by default.

4. When finished, log out and log back in (or reboot) so group membership (dialout, plugdev, wireshark) takes effect.

Install everything without the menu

sudo ./install.sh --all

Install only VM settings (preinstall)

sudo ./preinstall.sh
# or
sudo ./install.sh preinstall

Install specific tools

sudo ./install.sh 05-binwalk.sh 07-ghidra.sh
# or by basename as listed in tools/
sudo ./install.sh 15-wireshark.sh

Refresh desktop / Apps-menu launchers only

sudo ./install-launchers.sh

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What preinstall does

preinstall.sh prepares the VM before/alongside tools:

Setting	Detail
Hostname	wiresploit-vm
Theme	Dark (Yaru-dark) + WireSploit wallpaper (if bg/bg.png is present)
Groups	Adds your user to dialout, plugdev, wireshark
Udev	Installs hardware rules for common UART/JTAG/ESP/SDR adapters
Kernel modules	Autoload helpers for FTDI, CH340, CP210x, PL2303, CDC ACM
Secure Boot	Checks status and guides disable if needed for USB/JTAG modules

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Tools by category

Tools live in tools/ as numbered install scripts. After install, launchers appear under Desktop → Tools → <Category> and in the Apps menu.

System & Base

Tool	Script	Description
net-tools	01-net-tools.sh	Classic networking utilities (ifconfig, netstat)
OpenSSH server	02-ssh.sh	SSH daemon for remote access to the VM

Editors & IDEs

Tool	Script	Description
ImHex	03-imhex.sh	Hex editor for reverse engineers
Cursor	04-cursor.sh	Cursor IDE

Firmware Analysis

Tool	Script	Description
Binwalk	05-binwalk.sh	Firmware carving / analysis
unblob	06-unblob.sh	Extraction suite for nested firmware formats
7-Zip	08-7zip.sh	Official 7-Zip archive tool
file	09-file.sh	File type identification (libmagic)
strings	10-strings.sh	Extract printable strings from binaries
EMBA	14-emba.sh	Firmware security analyzer (heavy / slow)
FACT	16-fact.sh	Firmware Analysis and Comparison Tool (web UI)

Reverse Engineering

Tool	Script	Description
Ghidra	07-ghidra.sh	NSA Software Reverse Engineering framework
binutils	11-binutils.sh	objdump, readelf, nm, and related tools
checksec	12-checksec.sh	Binary hardening / security feature checks

Emulation

Tool	Script	Description
QEMU	13-qemu.sh	ARM/MIPS system and user-mode emulation

Network Analysis

Tool	Script	Description
Wireshark	15-wireshark.sh	Network protocol analyzer

Serial Consoles

Tool	Script	Description
minicom	17-minicom.sh	Serial terminal
picocom	18-picocom.sh	Lightweight serial terminal
screen	19-screen.sh	Terminal multiplexer / serial access

Flashing & Debug

Tool	Script	Description
flashrom	20-flashrom.sh	Read/write chip firmware via programmers
avrdude	21-avrdude.sh	AVR microcontroller programmer
esptool	22-esptool.sh	ESP8266 / ESP32 flash tool (esptool.py)
OpenOCD	23-openocd.sh	On-chip debugging (JTAG/SWD)
stm32flash	24-stm32flash.sh	STM32 UART bootloader flasher

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Installer options

Command	Behavior
sudo ./install.sh	Interactive checklist (TTY)
sudo ./install.sh --all	Install preinstall + all active tools (no menu)
sudo ./install.sh --no-menu	Same as --all
sudo ./install.sh --skip-preinstall	Menu without forcing preinstall on
sudo ./install.sh preinstall	Preinstall only
sudo ./install.sh <script>	Run one or more tool scripts

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After install

1. Log out / reboot so USB serial and capture groups apply.
2. Open tools from Desktop → Tools or the Apps menu folders.
3. For serial adapters, devices are typically /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0.
4. If a USB/JTAG device fails to load a driver, confirm Secure Boot is disabled in the VM UEFI settings.

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Project layout

ESCS_VM/
├── install.sh              # Main interactive installer
├── preinstall.sh           # VM hostname, theme, udev, groups
├── install-launchers.sh    # Refresh categorized desktop launchers
├── lib/
│   ├── common.sh           # Shared helpers + categories
│   └── tool_launchers.sh   # Per-tool launcher definitions
├── tools/                  # One install script per tool
└── vm/udev/                # Hardware udev rules

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Notes

• Run install scripts with sudo from a normal desktop user session (not a pure root login), so wallpaper, groups, and desktop shortcuts target the correct account.
• Some tools (especially EMBA and FACT) take a long time and significant disk space; you can uncheck them in the menu if you do not need them yet.
• Scripts expect an Ubuntu/Debian-style apt environment; 22.04.5 LTS is the supported target.