SEC556: IoT Penetration Testing

Attendees are expected to have a working knowledge of TCP/IP and web technologies and a basic knowledge of the Linux command lines before they come to class. While SEC556 is technically in-depth, it is important to note that programming knowledge is NOT required for the course.

Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions.

A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will not be able to fully participate in hands-on exercises in your course. Therefore, please arrive with a system meeting all of the specified requirements.

Back up your system before class. Better yet, use a system without any sensitive/critical data. SANS is not responsible for your system or data.

MANDATORY SEC556 SYSTEM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

• CPU: 64-bit Intel i5/i7 (8th generation or newer), or AMD equivalent. A x64 bit, 2.0+ GHz or newer processor is mandatory for this class.
• CRITICAL: Apple systems using the M1/M2 processor line cannot perform the necessary virtualization functionality and therefore cannot in any way be used for this course.
• BIOS settings must be set to enable virtualization technology, such as "Intel-VTx" or "AMD-V" extensions. Be absolutely certain you can access your BIOS if it is password protected, in case changes are necessary.
• 8GB of RAM or more is required.
• 60GB of free storage space or more is required.
• At least one available USB 3.0 Type-A port. A Type-C to Type-A adapter may be necessary for newer laptops. Some endpoint protection software prevents the use of USB devices, so test your system with a USB drive before class.
• Wireless networking (802.11 standard) is required. There is no wired Internet access in the classroom.
• A wired Ethernet network adapter is required for this course. This can be either an internal or an external USB-based network adapter but you cannot use wireless networking alone.

MANDATORY SEC556 HOST CONFIGURATION AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

• Your host operating system must be the latest version of Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS 10.15.x or newer.
• Fully update your host operating system prior to the class to ensure you have the right drivers and patches installed.
• Linux hosts are not supported in the classroom due to their numerous variations. If you choose to use Linux as your host, you are solely responsible for configuring it to work with the course materials and/or VMs.
• Local Administrator Access is required. (Yes, this is absolutely required. Don't let your IT team tell you otherwise.) If your company will not permit this access for the duration of the course, then you should make arrangements to bring a different laptop.
• You should ensure that antivirus or endpoint protection software is disabled, fully removed, or that you have the administrative privileges to do so. Many of our courses require full administrative access to the operating system and these products can prevent you from accomplishing the labs.
• Any filtering of egress traffic may prevent accomplishing the labs in your course. Firewalls should be disabled or you must have the administrative privileges to disable it.
• Download and install VMware Workstation Pro 16.2.X+ or VMware Player 16.2.X+ (for Windows 10 hosts), VMware Workstation Pro 17.0.0+ or VMware Player 17.0.0+ (for Windows 11 hosts), or VMWare Fusion Pro 12.2+ or VMware Fusion Player 11.5+ (for macOS hosts) prior to class beginning. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Fusion Pro, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their website. Also note that VMware Workstation Player offers fewer features than VMware Workstation Pro. For those with Windows host systems, Workstation Pro is recommended for a more seamless student experience.
• On Windows hosts, VMware products might not coexist with the Hyper-V hypervisor. For the best experience, ensure VMware can boot a virtual machine. This may require disabling Hyper-V. Instructions for disabling Hyper-V, Device Guard, and Credential Guard are contained in the setup documentation that accompanies your course materials.
• Download and install 7-Zip (for Windows Hosts) or Keka (for macOS hosts). These tools are also included in your downloaded course materials.

Your course media is delivered via download. The media files for class can be large. Many are in the 40-50GB range, with some over 100GB. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as soon as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Do not wait until the night before class to start downloading these files.

Your course materials include a "Setup Instructions" document that details important steps you must take before you travel to a live class event or start an online class. It may take 30 minutes or more to complete these instructions.

Your class uses an electronic workbook for its lab instructions. In this new environment, a second monitor and/or a tablet device can be useful for keeping class materials visible while you are working on your course's labs.

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact laptop_prep@sans.org

"It has been amazing to watch the progression and widespread adoption of what we now know as the Internet of Things in both our homes and enterprises  whether you realize it or not! However, while IoT-enabled technologies have arguably made our lives better by improving conveniences and our ability to obtain more accurate data about our environment, we unknowingly increase our attack surface through their use."

"In other words, the benefits often come at a cost, in many cases because of lackluster development practices by many IoT manufacturers that fail to consider the entirety of the attack surface of their device ecosystem. This failure is largely seen as financial; baking security in from the start is an expense that reduces the already low profit margins on IoT devices. Delays from adopting enhanced security measures can prevent a timely push to market, further compounding profit-per-device issues."

"With the increased adoption of IoT, attackers have also focused their efforts on IoT platforms. Techniques and tool capabilities have become exponentially more sophisticated, and they are often used for good to unlock additional features and capabilities. However, less-ethical attackers have gained the same sophistication with their toolsets, giving them the upper hand in exploiting the technology we rely on for critical tasks. The IoT adoption rate, in combination with the sophistication of attackers, paints a grave picture for the future of IoT and the networks IoT devices are connected to unless we begin now to improve the security of all facets of the IoT ecosystem."

"We are very excited to deliver interactive, hands-on labs and a suite of hardware and software tools to equip IoT analysts and developers with practical skills, methodologies, and thought processes that they can bring back to their organizations and apply on day one. The skills you will build in this class will be valuable for today's IoT technology and serve as a foundation for tomorrow's advancements, regardless of your vertical, application, or data." - Larry Pesce, James Leyte-Vidal, and Steven Walbroehl