An approach to hacking consumer electronics

Ben Knight (Insomnia Security)

Friday 16:15

Ben has recently been looking at an early generation DJ controller (the USB control interface type), with the goal of modifying the USB controller firmware. This took him down a path of working on an approach for hacking hardware devices that aren’t common targets. He will discuss his approach of demystifying complex datasheets, and using straightforward techniques for hands-on hacking.

The DJ controller retrieves program code over I²C from a serial EEPROM. The use of I²C serial to transfer data between micro-controllers is a common configuration for consumer electronics.

About Ben
Ben is a Senior Security Consultant at Insomnia Security. He enjoys pulling consumer electronics to bits, and thinking of simple solutions to finding security vulnerabilities at a hardware level.

He’s known for finding command injection vulnerabilities in consumer home routers, loading more game ROMs onto the PlayStation Classic, and organising hardware hacking meetups in Wellington.