Joe Grand's Hardware Hacking Basics

This training course offering is hosted by the Volatility Foundation in conjunction with From The Source (FTSCon). Course registration includes a complimentary ticket to FTSCon on Monday, October 20, 2025. For more details about FTSCon, visit the event page: https://volatilityfoundation.org/from-the-source-2025/.

Training Overview

This two-day comprehensive course teaches fundamental hardware hacking concepts and techniques used to explore, manipulate, and exploit electronic devices, including product teardown, component identification, circuit board reverse engineering, soldering and desoldering, signal monitoring and analysis, and memory extraction. Combining lecture and hands-on exercises, it culminates with a final challenge where you’ll identify and defeat the security mechanism of a custom hardware target. No prior hardware experience is required.

This class premiered in 2005 and is the longest-running hardware hacking training of its kind. It is continually updated to reflect the current state-of-the-art.

Training Description

Day 1:

Hardware Hacking Overview
Information Gathering
Product Teardown
- Opening housings
  - Product assembly/disassembly methods
  - Anti-tamper mechanisms
  - Hands-on exercise: Defeat epoxy encapsulation
- Component identification
  - Discrete components
  - Integrated circuits
  - Finding and reading data sheets
  - Hands-on exercise: Identify target components
Schematics and PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards)
- Creating/reading schematics
- PCB construction/fabrication methods
- Hands-on exercise: Modify target PCB
Soldering and Desoldering
- Tips/techniques
- Hands-on exercise: Soldering
- Hands-on exercise: Desoldering
Buses and Interfaces
- Identifying interfaces
- Determining pin function
  - Hands-on exercise: Measurements w/ multimeter
  - Hands-on exercise: Create block diagram/schematic

Day 2:

Buses and Interfaces (continued)
- Signal monitoring/analysis
  - Tools/techniques
  - Serial communications interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI)
  - Hands-on exercise: Signal monitoring w/ logic analyzer
  - Hands-on exercise: Digital decoding w/ logic analyzer
  - Hands-on exercise: Interactive console via UART
Signal/Data Manipulation
- Tools/techniques/examples
- Debug interfaces (vendor-specific, JTAG)
Memory and Firmware
- Memory types
- Hands-on exercise: Extract/modify data from EEPROM
- Security/code protection bypass examples
- Firmware analysis tools/techniques
Hardware Hacking Challenge
- Apply the knowledge and skills learned to defeat the security mechanism of a custom electronic device.

Target Audience

This class is for anyone interested in hardware hacking, including security researchers, digital forensic investigators, design engineers, and executive management. Whether you are looking to expand the capabilities of your organization or would like to understand how hackers may be reverse engineering your products, this class is a great starting point.

Software & Hardware Requirements

Everything required for the class will be provided, including (but not limited to) soldering iron, multimeter, logic analyzer, device programmer, wire strippers, test clips, safety goggles, and a laptop pre-loaded with the required software.

Prerequisite Knowledge & Skills

No prior hardware, electronics, or security experience is required. Each student will be led through the material and hands-on exercises regardless of past experience. Questions are encouraged along the way!

Resources Provided

Course presentation on USB thumb drive
Custom training circuit board

Daily Schedule

Breakfast, lunch & refreshments are included with course registration.

8:15AM-9:00AM Breakfast
9:00AM-12:30PM Training
12:30PM-1:15PM Lunch
1:15PM-5:00PM Training

ABOUT THE TRAINER

Joe Grand (@joegrand), also known as Kingpin, is a computer engineer, hardware hacker, teacher, honorary doctor, occasional YouTuber, member of legendary hacker group L0pht Heavy Industries, and the proprietor of Grand Idea Studio (grandideastudio.com). He has been creating, exploring, and manipulating electronic systems since the 1980s.