IoT devices—from smart home gadgets to industrial sensors—are critical but vulnerable to cyberattacks. If your company develops or deploys IoT devices, a penetration test (pentest) is essential to ensure security. Brown Fine Security, led by Matt Brown, an award-winning bug bounty hunter who earned the Most Valuable Hacker (MVH) award at HackerOne’s H1-213 live hacking event and runs the leading IoT Hacking-themed YouTube channel, specializes in IoT pentests. This roadmap will guide you through the process to protect your devices and customers.
Here’s a practical, step-by-step plan to get your IoT pentest right.
1. Define the Scope #
Start by identifying what to test. IoT systems are complex, often including hardware, firmware, mobile applications, web applications, cloud APIs, and network protocols.
These key questions can help you define assessment scope:
- Which devices or components are in scope (e.g., sensors, gateways, apps, APIs)?
- Are you testing a single device or the full ecosystem, including mobile and web apps?
- What are your top security concerns (e.g. remotely exploitable attacks vs attacks requiring physical device access)?
- What’s the project timeline? Discuss expected duration (e.g., 1-2 weeks) to align with your schedule
2. Choose the Right Pentest Type #
Select a pentest approach based on your goals:
- Black Box: Testers have no insider knowledge, only access to the device and/or systems in scope
- White Box: Testers have access to code and documentation for in-depth analysis
3. Select a Qualified Pentest Partner #
Choose a provider with IoT expertise. Look for:
- Experience with IoT ecosystems (hardware, firmware, apps, APIs, protocols like WiFi/BLE).
- Knowledge of standards like OWASP IoT Top 10 or NIST guidelines.
- A transparent methodology with clear deliverables.
Request case studies or references to confirm their capabilities.
Our Edge: Matt Brown’s MVH award from HackerOne’s H1-213 and hands-on IoT hacking experience, showcased on his leading YouTube channel, make Brown Fine Security a trusted partner across industries.
4. Prepare for the Test #
Set the project up for success by:
- Arranging to ship physical devices to the tester for hardware and firmware analysis
- Scheduling onboarding meetings to configure devices properly (e.g., network setup, user accounts)
- Providing access
- Sharing documentation like architecture diagrams, API specs, or app source code
- Defining testing boundaries to avoid disrupting live systems
Practical Step: Clearly communication with your testing provider who will pay for shipment of devices
5. Conduct the Pentest #
A thorough IoT pentest examines:
- Hardware: Checking physical ports, debug interfaces, or chipsets for weaknesses
- Firmware: Reverse-engineering to find hardcoded credentials or weak encryption
- Network: Sniffing traffic (e.g., Wi-Fi, BLE) for unencrypted data or poor authentication
- Software: Testing mobile and web apps and APIs for injection flaws or misconfigurations
- Cloud: Evaluating backend services for insecure APIs or data exposure
What We Do: Brown Fine Security, guided by Matt Brown’s award-winning expertise, combines custom tools and manual techniques to uncover vulnerabilities others miss.
6. Review the Report #
Expect a detailed report with:
- Detailed breakdown of what testing the pentester performed
- Vulnerabilities ranked by severity (e.g., critical, high, medium, low)
- Proof-of-concept exploits showing impact
- Clear remediation steps for each issue
Schedule a debrief to discuss findings and prioritize fixes.
Key Differentiator: Ask your pentest provider: do they report only security findings or a full writeup of all testing completed?
7. Remediate and Retest #
Address vulnerabilities, then retest to confirm fixes. You may want to retest IoT devices if:
- a firmware with major changes and/or new features been developed
- a new hardware version of a device has been produced
Retesting is critical to verify security.
8. Maintain Security Post-Pentest #
A pentest is a snapshot. For long-term security:
- Embed security in your development lifecycle
- Monitor for vulnerabilities in third-party components
- Schedule regular pentests, especially after updates
Get Started with Brown Fine Security #
Ready to secure your IoT devices? Brown Fine Security offers flexible, expert pentests tailored to your needs. Contact us for a free consultation, and let’s create a plan that works for you.