This week, Zac sits down with Eric Buck. Eric is the Director of Offensive Security at SEVN-X. Zac and Eric discuss physical security and his favorite tried and true technique.
Episode Summary
In Episode 10 of War Stories, host Zac Davis sits down with Eric Buck, Director of Offensive Security at SEVN-X. They talk about how Eric got his start in cybersecurity, the small decisions that shaped his career, and the tried and true physical security technique he still reaches for on engagements.
Eric moved into IT studies after deciding the business classes were not for him, and a classmate pointed him toward a security co-op that turned into his start in offensive security. From there, one opportunity led to the next, and he moved between roles on his way to leading SEVN-X's offensive security team.
His favorite tool is a long-range RFID badge reader built from the kind of reader used at parking garages, wired to its own power source and set up to quietly record badge data to an SD card. On physical penetration tests where buildings rely on badge access, cloning a badge can be the difference between a quick entry and a long day.
The war story is a winter physical test where Eric tailgated an employee through a badge-controlled stairwell door, found a quiet row of empty cubicles, and started the internal penetration test. Then he remembered his two-hour parking spot. With no badge to get back in, he mounted the long-range reader by the door, accidentally jammed the real reader in the process, and told the frustrated employee trying to badge in that the building was getting badge reader upgrades, then asked them to hold their badge up to the big one to make sure it worked.
In This Episode
- Eric Buck's background and how a co-op led to a career in offensive security
- The interview and the chain of small decisions that shaped his path
- Moving between roles on the way to Director of Offensive Security
- His favorite tool: a long-range RFID badge reader for physical penetration testing
- Cloning RFID badges and pretexting as a badge reader technician
Find Out What a Physical Tester Would Find
Eric and the SEVN-X offensive security team run physical security assessments, penetration tests, and red team engagements that show how an attacker would get into your building and your network. Talk with our team about scoping a test for your organization.
