Security
Hardware is the New Software
Society thrives on an ever increasing use of technology. Electronics are embedded into nearly everything we touch. Hardware products are being relied on for security-related applications and are inherently trusted, though many are completely susceptible to compromise with simple classes of attacks that have been known for decades. [ continue ]
Smart Parking Meters
Throughout the United States, cities are deploying “smart” electronic fare collection infrastructures. In 2003, San Francisco launched a $35 million pilot program to replace approximately 23,000 mechanical parking meters with electronic units that boasted tamper resistance, payment via smart card, auditing capabilities, and an estimated $30 million annually in fare collection revenue. Other major cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Diego, have made similar moves. [ continue ]
RFID Security
This presentation details RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology and its overarching security vulnerabilities. It begins with an overview of RFID architecture, standards, and common uses and implementations. The rest of the presentation focuses on security risks and practical attacks used to compromise an RFID system. [ continue ]
Exploring Security Problems in Hardware Devices
Most users treat a hardware solution as an inherently trusted black box. “If it’s hardware, it must be secure,” they say. This presentation explores a number of classic, historical security problems with hardware products, including access to stored data, privilege escalation, spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Technologies commonly used in the network and computer security industries are examined, including access control, authentication tokens, and network appliances. Some of the devices mentioned in this presentation have since been updated to prevent the discussed attacks. [ continue ]
Understanding Hardware Security
This presentation serves as an introduction to embedded security. Designing offensively may be your best protection against attack, so we discuss how to reduce the number of vulnerabilities in your hardware designs and how to evaluate the threats against your products. [ continue ]