He wasn't hacking a bank or breaching a government mainframe. He was trying to save a brick.
If you type commands but the letters do not appear on screen, the modem echo function is turned off. Type ATE1 and hit to force the modem to display your input text. Error: "COMMAND NOT SUPPORTED"
Note: If you cannot see what you are typing, issue the command ATE1 to enable local echo. Huawei Modem Terminal Download
: In the software, you must select the correct COM port labeled as HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G PC UI Interface and click "Connect" before sending commands. Common AT Commands for Huawei Modems
Once your terminal window opens, type AT and press . If the connection is successful, the terminal will return an OK response. Here is a reference list of critical diagnostic commands: Description ATI Device Information Displays manufacturer, model, and firmware version. AT+CSQ Signal Quality Returns signal strength values ranging from 0 to 31. AT+CIMI IMSI Request He wasn't hacking a bank or breaching a government mainframe
For older Huawei USB modems (E303, E3131, E3272), Huawei’s official "Mobile Partner" software includes a hidden terminal window.
He waited. One second. Two seconds. The lights on the front of the unit began to cycle. The power light turned solid green. The signal bars began to light up, one by one. Type ATE1 and hit to force the modem
: Open a tool like PuTTY or Tera Term , select Serial , and enter the COM port number found in the previous step.
Huawei modems themselves have a history of security vulnerabilities that can be exacerbated by the use of terminal tools. Security researchers have discovered flaws in popular Huawei LTE modems that could allow hackers to remotely execute code and launch DoS attacks to hijack devices. Unauthenticated attackers could gain access to sensitive configuration, such as WLAN passwords in clear text, and manipulate all settings in the web administration interface. Furthermore, vulnerabilities have been found in the Huawei Mobile Broadband HL Service software that could allow unprivileged users to run code as other users, including privileged ones, on macOS systems.
Some firmware updates require terminal access to force a bootloader mode.