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Offensive security assessments

IoT Pentesting Fundamentals

IoT (Internet of Things) security testing spans hardware, firmware, wireless, network,

Why it matters

IoT (Internet of Things) security testing spans hardware, firmware, wireless, network, mobile, and cloud: a single device usually touches all of them. Effective testing means mapping that whole ecosystem rather than treating the device as one black box.

How we test it

Our operators follow a structured checklist for this topic, adapted to your API surface and authentication model.

Testing approach

  • Recon the ecosystem: device, app, cloud endpoints, and the protocols between them
  • Extract firmware: from an update file, the vendor site, or directly from flash; then unpack with binwalk and review the filesystem
  • Analyse firmware: search for credentials, keys, and certificates; identify the OS and outdated packages
  • Test the network services: enumerate open ports, inspect protocols, attempt auth bypass and command injection on local APIs
  • Hardcoded or default credentials in firmware
  • Unauthenticated UART/serial console giving a root shell
  • Unsigned firmware updates (no integrity / authenticity checks)
  • Plaintext device-to-cloud communication

What we look for

  • Recon the ecosystem: device, app, cloud endpoints, and the protocols between them
  • Extract firmware: from an update file, the vendor site, or directly from flash; then unpack with binwalk and review the filesystem
  • Analyse firmware: search for credentials, keys, and certificates; identify the OS and outdated packages
  • Test the network services: enumerate open ports, inspect protocols, attempt auth bypass and command injection on local APIs
  • Hardcoded or default credentials in firmware
  • Unauthenticated UART/serial console giving a root shell
  • Unsigned firmware updates (no integrity / authenticity checks)
  • Plaintext device-to-cloud communication