# 019 - It's Still Not Magic

- Show: [Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast)
- Published: 2019-04-06
- Length: 45m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic
- Listen: https://unnamedre.com/episode/19

## Summary

Holly Graceful, a penetration tester at Graceful Security, discusses her hardware reverse engineering blog series and her career transition from the military to private sector security. She explains that debug interfaces like JTAG are often left accessible in consumer products due to manufacturing cost and testing requirements rather than security negligence. Graceful details her approach to demystifying hardware hacking by breaking complex topics into bite-sized tutorials, covering tools like the JTAGulator, USRP, and logic analyzers. She emphasizes that hardware access is often a vector for broader network attacks, not just compromising the device itself.

## Chapters

- [0:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=26) Introduction: Holly Graceful and Graceful Security
- [1:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=66) Military vs. Private Sector Security and Career Path
- [4:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=260) Demystifying Hardware Hacking and JTAG Accessibility
- [8:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=495) Hardware as a Vector for Network Penetration Testing
- [16:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=961) Learning Resources: Conferences, YouTube, and Blogging
- [19:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=1165) Tutorial Design: Bite-Sized Content for Junior Testers
- [24:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=1492) Community Feedback and Accessibility of Hardware Security
- [30:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=1846) Technical Challenges: Pinouts, Data Sheets, and Logic Analyzers
- [34:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=2042) Budget Hardware Hacking and SDR Tools (USRP, GNU Radio)
- [40:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic#t=2438) Advice for Aspiring Hardware Reverse Engineers

## Topics

- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [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)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Test & measurement](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/test-and-measurement)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Graceful Security (company)
- JTAGulator (tool)
- USRP (tool)
- PulseView (tool)
- GNU Radio (tool)
- Arduino (other)
- Black Magic Probe (tool)
- CortexProg (tool)
- Segger Jlink (tool)
- Great Scott Gadgets (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [An Interview with Joe FitzPatrick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-06-05-an-interview-with-joe-fitzpatrick) (The Amp Hour)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 9](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2014-08-12-the-spark-gap-episode-9) (The Spark Gap)
- [58: Use These Powers For Good](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-07-02-58-use-these-powers-for-good) (Embedded.fm)
- [111: Potty Train Your Tamagotchi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-07-29-111-potty-train-your-tamagotchi) (Embedded.fm)
- [New Life Skills with Joe Grand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-01-31-new-life-skills-with-joe-grand) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2019-04-06-019-its-still-not-magic. 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 Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast.