Overview
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to all the connected devices in your business, from industrial sensors monitoring operations to smart equipment like electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. These devices often work quietly in the background but are critical to your daily operations. Many organizations don’t realize they have IoT devices or the unique security risks they bring.
IoT devices often suffer from weak passwords, outdated software, and unsecured communication channels, making them easy targets for attackers. For example, if an EV charger is insecure, attackers could disrupt charging services, manipulate billing, or even charge vehicles for free, leading to direct financial losses. Compromised IoT devices can also become entry points into your broader network, risking data breaches or operational failure.
Our IoT and Embedded Device Penetration Testing service uncovers vulnerabilities across hardware, firmware, network protocols, and cloud integrations to help you secure your entire IoT ecosystem before attackers exploit these gaps.
IoT
Device Discovery
Inventory devices, firmware versions, and communication channels.
Hardware Analysis
Assess physical interfaces, debug ports, and tampering resistance.
Firmware Review
Extract and analyze firmware for backdoors or insecure configurations.
Network Protocol Testing
Evaluate MQTT, CoAP, Modbus, and proprietary communication stacks.
Authentication & Access Control
Test default credentials, weak keys, and insecure access mechanisms.
EV Charging Station Checks
Validate OCPP protocol, backend communication, and payment security.
Cloud & API Integration
Assess cloud services and APIs interacting with IoT devices.
Exploitation Simulation
Demonstrate device takeover, data interception, and code execution risks.
What you will get
Deliverables that keep every stakeholder aligned
We deliver more than raw findings: you receive a complete package that leadership, engineers, and auditors can all act on immediately.
Reporting package
Evidence-rich documentation for executives and technical teams.
Executive summary that explains business impact, key risks, and the
narrative behind the assessment.
Vulnerability summary with grouped issues, risk owners, severity,
and time-to-fix guidance.
Technical analysis that includes screenshots, observations, attack
flow notes, and proof-of-exploitation where appropriate.
Metrics & scoring covering CVSS, likelihood/impact rationales,
and remediation priority to unblock quick decisions.
Remediation toolkit
Clear next steps, mapped to the people fixing the issues.
Excel remediation tracker that consolidates every vulnerability with
owners, status, due dates, and comments so progress is easy to measure.
Prioritized backlog with quick wins, blocked items, and prerequisites
highlighted to reduce remediation friction.
Restitution meeting to walk through findings live, align on
fixes, and answer engineer questions while the context is fresh.
Optional retest to validate patches and refresh CVSS scores so the
final report reflects your latest posture.
Where this service excels
Recent scenarios our team solved
Real-world stories that mirror the way customers deploy, defend, and recover.
Smart Buildings
Default credentials on building controllers
Accessed BACnet gateways with vendor defaults and pivoted to HVAC management.
Outcome
Enforced credential rotation, isolated OT networks, and deployed access logging for controllers.
Healthcare
Telemetry tampering on connected infusion pumps
Manipulated MQTT topics to replay stale dosage readings.
Outcome
Signed telemetry messages, restricted broker ACLs, and enabled device attestation checks.
Manufacturing
Firmware extraction from smart sensors
Dumped firmware via unsecured debug headers to bypass update checks.
Outcome
Secured debug interfaces, added firmware encryption, and validated update signatures.
Testing Methodology
1
Scoping & Kick-off
Define objectives, in-scope assets, exclusions, testing mode (blackbox or greybox), credentials, test windows, and approvals.
2
Reconnaissance
Map hardware components, firmware, interfaces, protocols, mobile apps, and cloud services to understand the attack surface.
3
Scanning & Vulnerability Identification
Combine automated firmware analysis with manual testing of authentication, encryption, APIs, and trust boundaries across device, application, and cloud layers.
4
Exploitation
Safely validate vulnerabilities with proof-of-concepts demonstrating device compromise, data extraction, or network access without disrupting production systems.
5
Reporting & Debrief
Produce a comprehensive report including executive summary, scope, methodology, prioritized findings with PoCs, business impact, risk ratings, and actionable remediation, and present results during a restitution meeting.
6
Retest (Optional)
Ensure all identified vulnerabilities have been properly fixed without introducing new risks.
FAQ
- Physical access to target IoT devices (if required).
- Network credentials or wireless access keys for IoT networks.
- Device documentation including default credentials and configuration guides.
Connected devices expand your attack surface, creating more opportunities for vulnerabilities that can cause operational disruptions, data breaches, or even physical malfunctions. These issues are especially critical in EV charging infrastructure, where exploitation could affect public charging or enable unauthorized free charging.
Typically between 5 and 10 business days, depending on device variety, complexity, and integration scope.
All tests are safe and non-destructive. When testing in production, activities are coordinated to minimize impact. Any potentially disruptive actions are performed only after agreement.