IoT Penetration Testing
Hardware, firmware, embedded software, wireless protocols, companion apps, cloud services. IoT devices have the broadest attack surface of any technology category. We test every layer.
What Is IoT Penetration Testing?
Internet of Things (IoT) penetration testing evaluates the security of connected devices — the hardware, firmware, communication protocols, and companion applications that make up an IoT ecosystem. Each component introduces its own attack surface, and a vulnerability in any one can compromise the entire system.
IoT testing requires a unique combination of skills: hardware hacking, firmware reverse engineering, protocol analysis, web/mobile application testing, and cloud security assessment. Few firms have built this capability. We have.
Scope of an IoT Pentest
Every layer of the device ecosystem.
Hardware
Physical interface analysis. JTAG and UART debug interface discovery, chip-off extraction, side-channel analysis, fault injection, and hardware tamper resistance evaluation. We open the device and access what was meant to be locked.
Firmware
Binary extraction and reverse engineering. Firmware update mechanism analysis, hardcoded credential discovery, encryption key extraction, and identification of vulnerable services running on the device.
Communication Protocols
Zigbee, BLE, MQTT, CoAP, LoRaWAN, NFC, and custom RF protocols. We intercept, replay, and inject traffic to test whether an attacker could eavesdrop, spoof devices, or hijack communications.
Companion Applications
Web dashboards and mobile apps that control the device. API security, authentication, local data storage, and the communication channel between app and device. A compromised app can become a gateway to the device fleet.
Cloud Backend
The servers that collect, process, and store device data. Tenant isolation between device owners, API authentication, data encryption, and the potential for lateral movement from one device to an entire fleet.
Update Mechanisms
Over-the-air (OTA) update validation. Signature verification, rollback protection, update server authentication, and the potential for malicious firmware injection — the vector for large-scale device compromise.
Methodology
From silicon to cloud.
Hardware Reconnaissance
Device teardown, PCB analysis, debug interface identification (JTAG, UART, SWD), chip identification, and physical attack surface mapping. We understand the device before we touch the software.
Firmware & Protocol Analysis
Firmware extraction, reverse engineering, protocol traffic capture, and companion app assessment. Identification of vulnerabilities across the embedded software stack and communication layers.
Exploitation
Hardware access exploitation, firmware modification, protocol injection, fleet-level attack simulation, and demonstration of end-to-end compromise from physical access to cloud backend.
Reporting
Detailed findings across every layer — hardware, firmware, protocol, application, and cloud. Remediation guidance specific to embedded development constraints. Attack trees showing full chain exploitation.
Our Technical Expertise
The tools and techniques of hardware hacking.
Hardware Hacking Tools
JTAGulators, Shikra, Bus Pirate, logic analysers, oscilloscopes, and custom hardware interfaces. We have the physical tooling to access debug interfaces, dump flash chips, and inject signals.
Firmware Reverse Engineering
Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binwalk, and custom analysis tooling. We extract filesystems, analyse embedded binaries, identify hardcoded credentials, and reverse engineer proprietary protocols.
Protocol Expertise
Zigbee, BLE, MQTT, CoAP, LoRaWAN, NFC, Z-Wave, and custom RF. Using software-defined radio (SDR) and protocol-specific tools to intercept, replay, and inject wireless traffic.
Full-Stack IoT Assessment
We don't just test the device. We test the entire ecosystem — hardware, firmware, companion apps, cloud backend, and the connections between them. A vulnerability in any layer compromises the whole product.
Request an IoT Pentest
Tell us about your device. We'll scope a full ecosystem assessment.