Hardware Hacking

Instructors: Joe Grand
Dates: June 2015
Capacity: 24

This two-day course teaches hardware hacking and reverse engineering techniques commonly used against electronic products and embedded systems. It provides students with the resources and skills they need to confidently approach hardware hacking and to come up with creative solutions for their own particular engagements.

No prior electronics experience is required.

Objective

During the course, the student will:

• - Understand the hardware hacking process and mindset.
• - Learn the skills needed to successfully reverse engineer, modify, and/or attack electronic products.
• - Apply real world techniques to defeat the security of a custom circuit board.

Course materials

Students will be provided with the following materials and equipment:

• - Electronics and hardware hacking tools, including a soldering iron, multimeter, logic analyzer, and device programmer.
• - Grand Idea Studio's custom training circuit board.
• - Course lecture slides and hardware hacking/embedded security reference material.

Training course agenda

• A. Hardware Hacking Overview
  • 1. Methodology
  • 2. Key goals
  • 3. Common themes
• B. Information Gathering
• C. Product Teardown
  • 1. Opening housings
  • 2. Anti-tamper mechanisms
    • 2.1. Defeating encapsulation
    • 2.2. Hands-on exercise: Epoxy removal
  • 3. Component identification
    • 3.1. Basic components
    • 3.2. Microcontrollers
    • 3.3. Identifying ICs (Integrated Circuits)
    • 3.4. Data sheets
  • 4. Schematics
  • 5. PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards)
    • 5.1. Fabrication/features
    • 5.2. Deconstruction techniques
    • 5.3. Hands-on exercise: PCB modifications
• D. Soldering and Desoldering
  • 1. Techniques/tips
  • 2. Hands-on exercise: Soldering
  • 3. Hands-on exercise: Desoldering
  • 4. Difficult package types
• E. Buses and Interfaces
  • 1. Identifying interfaces
  • 2. Determining pin function
    • 2.1. Hands-on exercise: Initial probing w/ multimeter
  • 3. Signal monitoring/analysis
    • 3.1. Hands-on exercise: Signal monitoring w/ logic analyzer
    • 3.2. Serial/UAR
    • 3.3. Hands-on exercise: Digital signal decoding w/ logic analyze
    • 3.4. Wireless/R
  • 4. Debug interface
    • 4.1. JTAG (IEEE 1149.1)
  • 5. Hands-on exercise: Create a block diagram/schematic
• F. Memory and Firmware
  • 1. Memory types/technologies
  • 2. Security considerations
  • 3. Extracting firmware
  • 4. Firmware analysis/disassembly
  • 5. Hands-on exercise: Data extraction/modification
• G. Signal Manipulation and Side Channels
  • 1. Tools/techniques
    • 1.1. Glitching
  • 2. Side channel attacks
    • 2.1. Electromagnetic/RF
    • 2.2. Power
    • 2.3. Timing
    • 2.4. Other
• H. Chip-Level Hacking
  • 1. IC decapsulation
  • 2. Die analysis/modification
• I. Best Practices and Resources
• J. Hardware Hacking Challenge
  • * Apply the knowledge and skills learned in the course to reverse engineer and defeat the security mechanism of a custom electronic product.

Who should attend?

The course aims to educate everyone, from beginner hobbyists to computer security consultants to design engineers to senior management. Whether you like to get your hands dirty with hacking hardware or you are just curious about how hackers may reverse engineer your products, this course will be of benefit.

Class Requirements

Prerequisites:

No prior electronics experience is required. Expect to leave the course with a smile on your face and a hacked circuit board around your neck.

Minimum Software to install:

Students should bring their own laptop running Windows (or equivalent virtual machine) and containing a functional USB interface. The laptop will be used for online research and to control test equipment. Software and drivers may need to be installed.

Bio

Joe Grand is a product designer, hardware hacker, and the founder of Grand Idea Studio. He specializes in the invention and design of consumer products and modules for electronics hobbyists. Joe is a sought after speaker for his work on the reverse engineering and security analysis of embedded systems and is an active contributor to computer security conferences around the world.

Formerly known as Kingpin, Joe was a member of the legendary hacker group, L0pht Heavy Industries, and has testified before the United States Senate Governmental Affairs Committee regarding government and homeland computer security. He co-founded @stake, an information security firm later acquired by Symantec, and Chumby Industries, which produced one of the first intentionally open and hackable consumer devices.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Boston University and a Doctorate of Science in Technology (Honorary) degree from the University of Advancing Technology.

To Register

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