IoT Penetration Testing
Hardware hacking, firmware analysis, and wireless protocols. Securing the physical-digital boundary.
Course overview
A complete IoT security testing track covering the full stack: hardware interfaces (UART/JTAG), firmware extraction and reverse engineering, IoT-specific wireless protocols (MQTT, CoAP, BLE, Zigbee), and the mobile apps and cloud backends that complete a typical IoT ecosystem. Structured around the OWASP IoT Top 10, with labs against real firmware and protocol captures.
What you'll learn
- Explain the IoT ecosystem threat model: device, network, mobile app, and cloud backend
- Identify and use hardware debug interfaces (UART, JTAG) for device access
- Extract and analyze firmware images for hardcoded credentials and vulnerabilities
- Attack IoT-specific network protocols: MQTT, CoAP, BLE, and Zigbee at a fundamental level
- Assess the mobile apps and cloud APIs that complete a typical IoT device's ecosystem
- Map findings to the OWASP Internet of Things Top 10
- Scope and report an IoT assessment that covers hardware, firmware, and network layers coherently
Who this course is for
Pentesters with some general security testing experience who want to specialize in IoT: a genuinely advanced track that touches hardware, firmware reverse engineering, and RF protocols most web/network testers never encounter. Comfort with Linux and basic electronics concepts helps; no prior hardware hacking experience assumed.
Curriculum
Module 1: IoT Fundamentals and Threat Landscape
- Welcome: The IoT Ecosystem Threat Model
- The OWASP Internet of Things Top 10
- Building an IoT Testing Lab
- Module 1 Knowledge Check
Module 2: Hardware Hacking Basics
- Identifying Debug Interfaces on a PCB
- UART: Finding It and Getting a Console
- JTAG and SWD Fundamentals
- Lab: Get UART Console Access on a Test Device
Module 3: Firmware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
On completion of every module, enrolled students receive a verifiable certificate of completion. Full curriculum, hands-on labs, and instructor support are available at pentestnotes.tech/courses/iot-penetration-testing.