An interview with Alvaro and Jen from the URE Podcast

The Amp Hour · 15 Oct 2017 · 1h 08m · Episode 363

What this episode covers

Alvaro Prieto and Jen, hosts of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast, discuss their backgrounds in firmware engineering at companies like Apple, Amazon, and Planet. They contrast the high-volume, rapid-cycle nature of consumer electronics with the flexible timelines of industrial hardware, highlighting challenges like silicon errata, OTA update strategies, and the difficulty of finding competent firmware engineers. The conversation covers reverse engineering techniques, including protocol analysis and firmware dumping, inspired by creators like Micah Elizabeth Scott and Dimitri Greenberg.

Mentioned

Companies
Apple, Amazon, Planet, Mentor Graphics
Tools
ORCAD
Also
Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast, Micah Elizabeth Scott, Dimitri Greenberg, John McMaster, PC104

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • 001 - Success!

    Jen Castillo and Alvaro Prieto launch the 'Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast' to discuss hardware and firmware reverse engineering, a niche they feel is underserved compared to software-focused shows. They define reverse engineering through hobbyist projects, professional competitive analysis, and security research, citing examples like Jillian Ellsworth's Commodore 64 chip reverse engineering and Dmitry Grinberg's Dreamcast VMU hack. The hosts share personal anecdotes, including Alvaro's early PHP form processor security faux pas and Jen's experience debugging DTMF tone generators and VoIP voice degradation in call center equipment.

  • Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 1h 10m

    073 - REPP.show

    Jen Castillo (Rebelbot Jen) and Alvaro Prieto, hosts of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast, discuss the show's origins, their technical workflows, and career reflections. They detail specific reverse engineering projects, including a capacitive touchscreen clicker and STM8 glitching using an RP2040, while highlighting tools like the Bus Pirate, PC Bites, and the Cynthion. The conversation also covers their experiences with engineering management, the importance of community, and the cultural shift in hardware accessibility.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 02m

    130: Criminal Training Camp (Repeat)

    Alvaro Prieto, an embedded firmware engineer at Planet Labs, discusses his transition from Apple to the startup, highlighting the cultural shift from siloed secrecy to radical transparency. He details several personal hardware projects, including reverse-engineering the Parallax Proto-X quadcopter's radio protocol and building autonomous laser-shooting robots for DEFCON. Prieto also shares insights on his open-source tool, Silta, which bridges USB to I2C/SPI for sensor testing, and reflects on the importance of community encouragement in maker culture.

  • 037 - 2020 Survey Results

    Jen Castillo and Alvaro Prieto of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast summarize their 2020 annual survey results, revealing a bimodal audience of software, firmware, and security engineers who value the show's knowledgeable guests and detailed show notes. They discuss the decision to launch a Patreon to fund better recording tools like Zencastr and potentially hire an editor, while addressing listener feedback on episode frequency, intro music volume, and the desire for more technical depth. The hosts also reflect on their production workflow, contrasting scripted remote interviews with unscripted live conference recordings, and announce plans for future Hackaday-related content.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 11m

    399: Hey, What's Going On?

    Jen Costillo, a firmware engineer and co-host of the Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast, discusses her transition into voiceover artistry and her work with Cat Machines Dance. She details the technical nuances of recording for educational toys, such as handling concatenated speech and memory constraints, and explains how voiceover skills enhance her engineering communication. The conversation also covers the business of voiceover, including platforms like Voice123 and Sweetwater, and the importance of reverse engineering for understanding product security.

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