Careers in cybersecurity often begin with a spark of intrigue. A seemingly innocuous device, electronic, or weird program glitch sends a future hacker down a rabbit hole, and the rest is history. For Alx, a hardware specialist and mobile security expert, that spark was ignited in 1990 by a C64 cracking demo that set him on a 25-year path in the industry. Now a freelancer and bug hunter, Alx shares insights, methodologies, and steadfast approaches to finding success in cybersecurity.
Origins in code
Alx‘s entry into the cybersecurity field started with his studying early programming languages. “I learned Pascal and Assembler, later C and C++. These days, I spend way too much time on IRC,” he says. Having spent his youth in Hamburg, Germany, Alx’s early security contributions date back to the dawn of vulnerability tracking systems. “My earliest CVEs were based on submissions I made on a security mailing list called bugtraq, which was very popular at the time.”
Alx notes that the field wasn’t always lucrative. “Security wasn’t a thing that could earn you amazing amounts of money at that time, so I went into software development. But I still spent my free time hacking things.”
His path took several turns before he landed his current role: “My path led me to osx86, iPhone hacking, console hacking, and at some point, bug bounties. After a couple of years in software development and management, I switched jobs, leading me to work for a large automotive vendor where I started toward offensive security. In 2023, I became a full-time freelancer and bug hunter.”
Mobile, hardware, and AI—Oh, my!
When asked about his specialties, Alx gave a clear answer. “Mostly hardware, and due to my origin story and long-lasting love of devices, I am still very active in the mobile field,” he says.
This focus on hardware has given Alx a unique perspective on vulnerabilities that are often missed. Alx believes certain vulnerability classes deserve more attention: “A lot of vendors don’t pay enough attention to things like memory corruption or other binary-based attack vectors. Misconfigurations and other issues are always very much in focus.”
Regarding AI’s impact on cybersecurity, Alx sees a transformative but not apocalyptic future. “It will kill off a lot of the simple security tasks and find a lot of the easier bugs before they ever hit the productive landscape. I also see a lot of potential in mitigations and in finding complex attack patterns,” he explains.
Yet he remains optimistic about AI’s impact on the art of hacking and the security of devices: “Will it kill all security jobs? I am pretty sure it won’t. Software will become more and more complex, meaning there is room for more complex failures. Why not in AI too?”
Alx’s pen testing approach
Alx brings repeatable precision to penetration testing, outlining a framework that works across domains.
“The basic approach is as simple as this: Map all possible attack surfaces and enumerate them. Conduct a basic assessment of all interesting attack surfaces. Deep dive on any possible juicy attack vectors you identify,” he explains. “This should work fine for most targets, and this process works well for hardware too.”
For hardware specifically, Alx breaks down the process further. “Hardware is a very complex topic that requires a broad skill set (embedded software, electronics, general engineering, etc.) and a wide range of tools. So it really depends on the target,” he says. “I try new things all the time and write a lot of my own tools for a target. The basics are common electronic tools and a Linux computer with a development environment. Hardware hacking is much simpler than some people might expect, and there is no super fancy uber hacking tool to use for these tasks.”
When faced with unfamiliar technology stacks, Alx takes a pragmatic and honest approach. “If the target is something I am familiar with from a technological point of view, I will work into the specifics and learn the required skills,” he explains. “If the target is something that is totally off-grid and not in my field of activity, I will inform the customer of some practical recommendations on how to find someone with the right skill set for the job.”
This honesty reflects his philosophy regarding security specialization: “Technical security is as multifaceted as engineering is. You need to have the right researcher for the job, and no one can seriously cover every possible technology.”
When asked about how he prioritizes multiple bugs, he cites that experience guides his process. “Based on experience [in the field], there are bugs that show great potential. When you’ve tested a lot of different targets over the years, you get fairly good at selecting the high-potential flaws and digging deeper,” Alx notes.
Communication with customers is a critical component of his testing methodology. “Different customers require different levels of communication. To me, it is very important to maintain active contact with a customer. I try to report back to the customer regularly if required and ping them as soon as possible if any issues arise,” he says.
What constitutes a successful penetration test? For Alx, it’s not just about finding vulnerabilities. “During my enterprise days, I spent a fair amount of time trying to determine what a successful pen test looks like. Penetration testing is just one piece in the big puzzle of trying to achieve high security standards. It is both a technical and creative task,” he reflects.
He adds, “Neither findings nor a lack of findings are indicators of success. A successful test to me is the process of testing itself and whether I can see that a highly qualified person has spent a fair amount of time thinking about a target and possible attacks. The level of creativity put into a test is worth much more than any finding. It shows you what is possible or not.”
Beyond identification, remediation advice is a part of his approach. “Absolutely [I provide remediation], especially for bugs that are not very common or are difficult to understand. Sometimes, there are surprisingly easy solutions. Many customers are very happy when a simple solution is possible,” he says.
Maintaining balance
With more than two decades in security under his belt, Alx recognizes the importance of avoiding burnout. “My family helps me a lot. Take some time off sometimes, and don’t abuse yourself by working into burnout. It wins you nothing. Working hard and being focused is one thing, but you require balance,” he advises.
Outside of hacking, he maintains this balance through physical activities. “I have a couple of hobbies, including skateboarding and windsurfing to name the most important ones,” he says. His support system includes both family and other hackers. “Nowadays, my wife and family influence me a lot with their support for my work. I’ve made some good friends through hacking over the years too. A special shoutout to Team dumpstrfire here, you guys rock!”
Advice for aspiring hackers
For new hackers, Alx advises focused specialization rather than broad specialization. “Get some basic skills and specialize in a field that you like; don’t try to cover every possible technology. Low-hanging fruit won’t make you happy,” he suggests.
He also emphasizes the importance of intuition. “Listen to your feelings—if you think there is something, dig deep. There is a bug waiting for you somewhere,” Alx believes.
When asked about his future trajectory, Alx embraces uncertainty. “I have been in security for more than 25 years at this point. I never expected any of the things that have happened so far. I have no idea where my journey will take me over the next 25 years, but I hope it will continue to be equally exciting,” he says.
His partnership with Bugcrowd continues to be fulfilling. As cybersecurity continues to evolve, long-time professionals like Alx represent a bridge between the industry’s origins and its future. “It is very great to work with Bugcrowd and its amazing team, which is all about professional communication and swift responses!” he shares. Follow Alx for educational content and interviews on his social media.
