Hardware Podcasts

032 - High Molarity Rants

Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast · 25 Feb 2020 · 1h 10m · Episode 32

What this episode covers

John McMaster, founder of the Mountain View Reverse Engineering Meetup and operator of siliconpr0n.org, discusses the history of his hardware hacking community and his work in chip reverse engineering. He details the meetup's evolution from Red Rock Cafe to Alice's Smokehouse, highlighting the unique security community culture where attendance often exceeds RSVPs. McMaster also explains his technical approach to firmware extraction, including decapping chips with acids and using tools like the Swiss Light Source for non-invasive analysis.

Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Riscure, Palo Alto Networks
Products
Dreamcast, Sega Genesis, Tamagotchi, Juyce
Chips
MIPS, 6502, 68K, PSOC 4, ATECC, TPM
Tools
Olympus BH2, Dremel, IDA, JTAG, FIB
Also
Mountain View Reverse Engineering Meetup, siliconpr0n.org, Alice's Smokehouse, Red Rock Cafe, RPI-SEC, Hardwear.io, Swiss Light Source, DEFCON, Recon, Supercon, KitP, Paul Scherer Institute

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 00m

    352: Baby's First Hydrofluoric Acid

    John McMaster, president of McMaster Consulting, explains the process of decapping computer chips to extract firmware and analyze their internal structure. He details the use of hydrofluoric acid, lapping machines, and focused ion beam (FIB) tools to delayer chips, allowing for the imaging of ROM and other circuitry. McMaster also discusses software tools like Rompar and bitract for converting microscope images into binary code, and shares insights on the legal and technical aspects of reverse engineering older hardware like the SNES S-PPU1.

    PCB design & layoutDebugging & failure analysis
    12 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 21m

    An Interview with Dmitry Nedospasov

    Dmitry Nedospasov, a hardware security researcher and founder of the startup Toothless, discusses his work in IC security and reverse engineering. He details invasive and semi-invasive techniques for analyzing chips, including using focused ion beams and infrared cameras to extract secrets from smart cards and pay TV systems. Nedospasov also explains his training curriculum at the RECon conference, which teaches engineers how to use FPGAs for protocol analysis and hardware hacking.

    Debugging & failure analysisMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 21m

    #397.8 - An Interview with Chris Gerlinsky

    Chris Gerlinsky, an embedded reverse engineer based on Vancouver Island, explains his work decapping chips and microprobing to extract firmware and security keys from automotive ECUs and legacy cable set-top boxes. He details the physical processes of delayering ICs using chemicals and plasma etching to expose silicon bits, and discusses how aftermarket automotive companies use these techniques to integrate non-OEM parts into closed vehicle networks. Gerlinsky also contrasts the ease of reverse-engineering older pay-TV security chips with the increasing difficulty posed by modern automotive security measures like signed code and RSA signatures.

    Debugging & failure analysisSecurity & privacy
    8 chapters

  • 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.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 35m

    Live from Serbia with Mike Harrison

    Dave Jones, founder of Mike's Electric Stuff, discusses his career reverse engineering early analog mobile phones to change serial numbers, detailing the technical methods used to bypass tamper-resistant security on devices from manufacturers like Panasonic and Nokia. He also describes large-scale art installations, such as a modular PCB snowflake display for a Hong Kong shopping center, explaining the RS485 communication architecture and custom programming jigs. Jones shares insights on sourcing components like Molex SIM connectors and Osram LEDs, and offers advice on engineering pragmatism, debugging, and managing an engineering consultancy.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    9 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.