# Finding Hardware Flaws with Laura Abbott

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2022-05-23
- Length: 57m
- Episode: 590
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/590-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott/

## Summary

Laura Abbott, an engineer at Oxide Computer, discusses her accidental discovery of a buffer overflow vulnerability in the ROM update mechanism of the NXP LPC55S69 microcontroller while working on Oxide's server root of trust. She explains how Oxide is rebuilding the server from the ground up with a focus on hardware security, utilizing their open-source operating system Hubris and the Rust programming language to mitigate risks like memory safety issues. The conversation covers the architecture of the server's secure components, including the service processor and TrustZone-M, as well as the challenges of remote hardware debugging and contributing to the Linux kernel community.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=0) Introduction and Oxide's Server Vision
- [1:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=111) Root of Trust and Hardware Security Architecture
- [5:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=330) The LPC55S69 Vulnerability and Buffer Overflow
- [25:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=1509) TrustZone-M, Rust, and Memory Safety
- [35:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=2104) Firmware Updates, Bootloaders, and Rollbacks
- [43:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott#t=2610) Remote Hardware Debugging and Linux Kernel Contributions

## Topics

- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Oxide Computer (company)
- NXP (company)
- LPC55S69 (chip)
- STM32H7 (chip)
- Hubris (product)
- ARM (company)
- TrustZone-M (other)
- Rust (other)
- Linux (product)
- Zephyr (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Another LPC55 ROM Vulnerability](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-04-05-another-lpc55-rom-vulnerability) (Oxide and Friends)
- [055 - Stacks Of Bricked Chips](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2022-03-13-055-stacks-of-bricked-chips) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [414: Puff, the Magically Secure Dragon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-05-26-414-puff-the-magically-secure-dragon) (Embedded.fm)
- [342: That Girl's Brain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-08-27-342-that-girls-brain) (Embedded.fm)
- [Holistic Engineering with Robert Mustacchi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2025-01-23-holistic-engineering-with-robert-mustacchi) (Oxide and Friends)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.