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Mirko Zorz, Editor in Chief, Help Net Security says, Maggie Jauregui’s introduction to hardware security is a fun story: she figured out how to spark, smoke, and permanently disable GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter – the two button protections on plugs/sockets that prevent you from electrocuting yourself by accident with your hair dryer) wirelessly with a walkie talkie.
“I could also do this across walls with a directional antenna, and this also worked on AFCI’s
(Arc Fault Circuit Interrupts – part of the circuit breaker box in your
garage), which meant you could drive by someone’s home and potentially
turn off their lights,” she told Help Net Security.
Photo: Maggie Jauregui
This first foray into hardware security resulted in her first technical presentation ever at DEF CON and a follow up presentation at CanSecWest about the effects of radio waves on modern platforms.
Jauregui says she’s always been interested in hardware. She started out as an electrical engineering major but switched to computer science halfway through university, and ultimately applied to be an Intel intern in Mexico.
“I highly recommend readers to check out the book Demystifying Internet of Things Security written by Intel scientists and Principal Engineers. It’s an in depth look at the threat model, secure boot, chain of trust, and the SW stack leading up to defense-in-depth for embedded systems. It also examines the different security building blocks available in Intel Architecture (IA) based IoT platforms and breaks down some the misconceptions of the Internet of Things,” she added.
“This book explores the challenges to secure these devices and provides suggestions to make them more immune to different threats originating from within and outside the network.”
Source: Help Net Security
