Defeating Physical Intrusion Detection Alarm Wires

Presented at DEF CON 29 (2021), Aug. 7, 2021, 1 p.m. (45 minutes).

Alarm systems are ubiquitous - no longer the realm of banks and vaults only, many people now have them in their homes or workplaces. But how do they work? And the logical follow-up question - how can they be hacked? This talk focuses on the communication lines in physical intrusion detection systems: how they are secured, and what vulnerabilities exist. We'll discuss the logic implemented in the controllers and protections on the communication lines including end of line resistors - and all the ways that this aspect of the system can be exploited. In particular, we'll release schematics for a tool we've developed that will enable measuring end-of-line resistor systems covertly, determining the necessary re-wiring to defeat the sensors, and deploy it without setting off the alarm. After the talk, you can head over to the Lock Bypass Village to try these techniques out for yourself!

Presenters:

  • Bill Graydon - Principal, Research, GGR Security
    Bill Graydon is a principal researcher at GGR Security, where he hacks everything from locks and alarms to critical infrastructure; this has given him some very fine-tuned skills for breaking stuff. He's passionate about advancing the security field through research, teaching numerous courses, giving talks, and running DEF CON's Lock Bypass Village. He's received various degrees in computer engineering, security, and forensics and comes from a broad background of work experience in cyber security, software development, anti-money laundering, and infectious disease detection. @access_ctrl https://github.com/bgraydon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZK3vjJL9rKNPXNoCPFO5g/videos

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