# An Interview with Joe FitzPatrick

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2017-06-05
- Length: 1h 06m
- Episode: 346
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/346-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick/

## Summary

Joe Fitzpatrick of SecurityHardware.com, a former CPU silicon security tester, explains how hardware vulnerabilities arise from Verilog assumptions and undocumented register behaviors, leading to his current focus on hardware security training. He details the evolution of attacks from simple JTAG access to sophisticated USB-C exploits involving microcontrollers in adapters, and discusses the NSA Playset's Slot Screamer device. Fitzpatrick argues that physical access often bypasses software security, highlighting the risks of unverified hardware like YubiKey clones and the ethical dilemmas of vulnerability disclosure in IoT and medical devices.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=0) Introduction: Joe Fitzpatrick and SecurityHardware.com
- [1:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=91) CPU Silicon Security and Verilog Vulnerabilities
- [10:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=657) Hardware Penetration Testing and Low-Hanging Fruit
- [19:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=1193) NSA Playset and Slot Screamer DMA Attacks
- [23:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=1439) USB-C Security Risks and Microcontroller Exploits
- [30:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=1824) Ethics in Hacking and Vulnerability Disclosure
- [47:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=2852) Hardware Security Training and Conferences
- [54:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick#t=3299) Cloning YubiKeys and Hardware Trust Models

## Topics

- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- SecurityHardware.com (company)
- NSA Playset (product)
- Slot Screamer (product)
- YubiKey (product)
- USB-C (other)
- JTAG (other)
- Verilog (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [019 - It's Still Not Magic](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [431: Becoming More of a Smurf](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-10-20-431-becoming-more-of-a-smurf) (Embedded.fm)
- [025 - Opaque Magisterium](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-08-14-025-opaque-magisterium) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [519: The Password Is All Zeros](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-01-23-519-the-password-is-all-zeros) (Embedded.fm)
- [Ep. 28 | How DARPA Stops IC Hardware Hackers in Their Tracks: Insights from Serge Leef](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-08-24-ep-28-how-darpa-stops-ic-hardware-hackers-in-their-tracks-insights-from-serge-le) (Moore's Lobby)

## Citing this page

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