Have you ever wondered how to start breaking hardware? It’s not that hard, and can be a lot of fun. I will talk about basic tools needed to begin, what to look for, and how you too can play with just about any IoT type device. This talk came from the idea of wanting to reset a Point-To-Point radio that no one knew the password for, and was deemed “dead”. I will talk about how I found the admin Interface, and what did once I got connected to it, and a few other stories of hardware attacks I run against systems. I will also introduce the topic of Glitching using an EMP on hardware. It’s fun to see a program branch into code that can never actually be branched into as an exit is not built into the code base.
David M. N. Bryan is a seasoned hacker and security professional with over 25 years in the information security space. Currently at NetSPI, David specializes in penetration testing across a broad range of technologies, including mainframes, ATMs, storage systems, IoT devices, payment systems, and more.
David’s career spans both offensive and defensive security roles—from securing a top ten bank’s infrastructure to helping protect the DEF CON network. A long-time DEF CON goon, he’s contributed to the community for decades and brings deep expertise in areas such as embedded systems, network and wireless security, web application testing, and physical security.
He has shared his knowledge at major security conferences including Black Hat, DEF CON, ToorCon, LayerOne, ToorCamp, BSides, and AppSecUSA, among others. Most recently, David was part of the NetSPI Mainframe team that took first place in the Capture the Flag competition at the Share 2025 Mainframe Conference in Washington, D.C.
Join us in June (2026) with an exemplary selection of hacker and privacy presentations and villages from prominent tech experts. Get your tickets now!
