Inside Hardwear.io USA 2025: Innovation, Collaboration, and CTF Excitement in Santa Clara

Last month, the global hardware security community gathered in Santa Clara, CA, for Hardwear.io USA 2025, a premier event dedicated to advancing research, sharing knowledge, and strengthening the security of embedded and connected systems. As a proud sponsor of the Capture The Flag (CTF) competition, we at Phosphorus were excited to be part of this vibrant and growing ecosystem.

Pushing the Frontiers of Hardware Security

The five-day event brought together security researchers, engineers, hardware hackers, and industry leaders for a packed schedule of hands-on trainings, insightful talks, and dynamic networking opportunities. Topics ranged from side-channel attacks and firmware exploitation to hardware reverse engineering and secure boot validation.

Phosphorus’ mission to secure the expanding world of Extended Internet of Things (xIoT) aligns directly with the technical and exploratory spirit of Hardwear.io. At Phosphorus we believe in the importance of security research and actively conduct research on a multitude of devices from IoT and OT. That is evident in the vast collection of hardware in the Phosphorus Lab. We were thrilled to connect with others who are equally passionate about strengthening the foundations of the hardware we all rely on. Phosphorus sponsors and partners with conferences such as Hardwear.io because we understand the value of the knowledge shared. Since hardware security is more of a niche and sometimes underutilized area, this affects the security of organizations and their devices, and that is why such events are important. 

Hands-On Hardware Hacking: Inside the Hardwear.io CTF Sponsored by Phosphorus

One of the most electrifying components of Hardwear.io USA 2025 was the Capture The Flag (CTF) competition, masterfully organized by the Quarkslab team—and proudly sponsored by Phosphorus.

This wasn’t your typical digital CTF. Instead, it challenged participants to get their hands dirty with real hardware. Ever wondered how to reverse engineer a PCB, eavesdrop on embedded communications, or solder under a microscope? This CTF brought those questions to life.

With challenges spanning themes like RFID, Bluetooth, automotive systems, desoldering, 3D hardware puzzles, and radio hacking, competitors had to bring not just technical skill, but also creativity and persistence. Whether you were probing car chips or playing with low-level signal analysis, there was something here for every hardware enthusiast. One of the challenges event simulated disarming a bomb. 

Participants had access to a suite of hardware hacking tools, including soldering irons and logic analyzers, and were guided on how to use them—making it a welcoming environment for both veterans and first-time hardware hackers.

To play, all you needed was a PC (preferably running Linux) and a curiosity for how things work under the hood. Some challenges didn’t even require a PC, ensuring that everyone could get involved, regardless of their setup.

From the moment the CTF opened, the booth buzzed with energy. Teams formed, skills were tested, and lightbulbs went off—literally and figuratively. Beyond just a contest, it was an interactive workshop, a community space, and a proving ground for tomorrow’s hardware security leaders.

Congratulations to the Top Teams:

🏆 1st Place – Somerset Recon – 1850 points
🥈 2nd Place – Praetorian – 1725 points
🥉 3rd Place – InfoSect – 1625 points
🎖 4th Place – tokebak – 1150 points

Huge congratulations to all who participated—and especially to these top teams who showcased incredible hardware hacking skill and determination. 

Building Community, Driving Impact

Beyond the talks and challenges, Hardwear.io continues to foster a collaborative and inclusive community. Whether it was chatting with students over coffee or brainstorming edge-case bugs with seasoned researchers, the conversations sparked new ideas and potential partnerships.

We want to thank the Hardwear.io organizers for another stellar event, and extend congratulations to all CTF participants, especially the winners who cracked some impressively tough challenges.

Until Next Time…

At Phosphorus, we believe that real progress in security comes from hands-on exploration, deep collaboration, and a commitment to continuous learning. We’re honored to have played a part in Hardwear.io USA 2025, and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Stay tuned for more insights, partnerships, and innovations as we continue to make the world’s connected devices safer—one byte at a time. If you enjoyed this blog about the conference and CTF, the next episode of the Phosphorus IoT Security Podcast features Hardwear.io speaker, Hash Salehi reverse engineer and hardware security researcher.