Hardware and IoT Security

As IoT adoption and embedded systems continue to expand across industries, hardware vulnerabilities pose an increasing risk to organisations. From consumer IoT devices to industrial control systems (ICS) and custom embedded products, attackers target misconfigurations, weak firmware, and insecure communication channels to gain unauthorised access or disrupt operations.

SilentGrid’s Hardware and IoT Penetration Testing evaluates the security of embedded systems, IoT devices, and hardware products to uncover vulnerabilities at the firmware, communication, and physical access layers. Our goal is to ensure your hardware and IoT ecosystems are resilient against attacks that target the intersection of physical and digital security.

What Sets Us Apart

End-to-End IoT and Hardware Testing

We assess IoT ecosystems across the full stack – from firmware analysis and hardware debugging to API security and cloud interaction. This ensures vulnerabilities are identified across all components of the IoT infrastructure.

Embedded Systems Expertise

Our team brings deep knowledge of embedded architectures, reverse engineering, and custom hardware exploitation, allowing us to identify weaknesses at the binary, bootloader, and kernel levels.

Real-World Attack Simulation

SilentGrid simulates real-world attack scenarios targeting IoT ecosystems and hardware devices, including:

• Firmware reverse engineering and modification
• Hardware-based attacks (JTAG, UART, SPI, I2C)
• Wireless protocol exploitation (Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRa, NFC)
• Physical tampering and side-channel attacks

Testing Standards and Frameworks

SilentGrid’s hardware and IoT testing aligns with leading industry frameworks to ensure comprehensive and rigorous testing:

• OWASP IoT Top 10 – Addressing the most critical IoT vulnerabilities.
• MITRE ATT&CK for ICS – Focusing on industrial control system threats.
• NIST 8259 – IoT device cybersecurity guidance.
• CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) – Identifying common weaknesses in embedded and IoT software.

Methodology

Our approach evaluates vulnerabilities across the hardware lifecycle – from development to deployment.

1. Hardware Reconnaissance and Threat Modelling

   • Identifying exposed interfaces (e.g., JTAG, UART) and insecure boot configurations.
   • Assessing device architecture, chipsets, and embedded operating systems.

2. Firmware Extraction and Analysis

   • Extracting and reverse-engineering firmware to identify backdoors, hardcoded credentials, or insecure code.
   • Testing for buffer overflows, command injection, and privilege escalation opportunities.

3. Communication and Protocol Testing

   • Testing communication protocols (Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, MQTT, etc.) for vulnerabilities.
   • Simulating man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks on data flows between devices and cloud platforms.

4. Physical and Side-Channel Analysis

   • Conducting physical tampering assessments to evaluate access controls and hardware resilience.
   • Testing for voltage glitching, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and chip-level attacks.

5. Cloud and API Integration Testing

   • Assessing IoT cloud services and backend APIs for misconfigurations, authentication issues, and data exposure risks.

Deliverables

SilentGrid’s hardware and IoT assessments provide critical insights to product teams, ensuring secure development and deployment of connected devices.

You will receive:

• Comprehensive Vulnerability Report – Documenting security risks across firmware, hardware, and communication channels.
• Proof of Concept (PoC) – Demonstrations of successful hardware, firmware, or communication exploits.
• Remediation Guidance – Detailed recommendations to address vulnerabilities at the hardware, software, and API levels.
• Executive Summary – High-level overview of findings and risks for non-technical stakeholders.
• Developer Consultation – Post-assessment support to assist engineering teams in securing hardware products.

Why IoT and Hardware Security Matters

IoT and embedded devices often interact with sensitive environments, including critical infrastructure, healthcare, smart cities, and enterprise networks. A single compromised device can:

• Facilitate lateral movement within corporate environments.
• Expose sensitive data through insecure storage or transmission.
• Enable remote code execution and persistent backdoors.
• Lead to operational disruption through attacks on industrial IoT (IIoT) or OT systems.

Ensuring robust hardware and IoT security protects not only device functionality but also the broader network and services they interact with.

Get Started Today

Secure your IoT devices and embedded systems from evolving threats. Contact Us to schedule a Hardware and IoT Penetration Test and safeguard your connected ecosystems.