Bluetooth Low Energy Hacking Masterclass
Training Overview
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Hacking Masterclass is a deeply hands-on, two-day technical training at CSA XCON 2026, designed to equip security professionals with practical skills to assess, exploit, and secure BLE-enabled devices used across IoT, automotive, healthcare, access control, and smart infrastructure.
Bluetooth Low Energy is everywhere, yet security implementations are often weak, misunderstood, or entirely absent. This masterclass takes participants from BLE fundamentals to advanced real-world exploitation, using dedicated hardware kits and realistic attack scenarios.
About the Training at CSA XCON 2026
This is a keyboard-and-hardware-first training, not a slide-driven overview. Participants will actively interact with real BLE devices, sniff wireless traffic, intercept credentials, reverse proprietary protocols, and break vendor-specific implementations.
Key highlights include:
- Zero-to-advanced coverage of BLE security
- Dedicated take-home hardware kit for every participant
- Realistic attack scenarios based on smart locks, trackers, tokens, and automotive systems
- Deep focus on radio-level attacks, not just application-layer flaws
- Skills directly transferable to real pentesting and research engagements
This training aligns perfectly with CSA XCON’s mission of promoting applied, hands-on cybersecurity excellence.
What You Will Learn
BLE Foundations & Device Interaction
- How Bluetooth Low Energy works internally
- Advertising vs connections (services, characteristics, GATT)
- Reading, writing, and subscribing to BLE characteristics
- Immediate exploitation of unsecured BLE devices
BLE Traffic Interception & Analysis
- Passive BLE sniffing using: nRF Sniffer & SniffLE
- Packet analysis in Wireshark
- Dumping Bluetooth traffic directly from smartphones
- Capturing plaintext credentials, OTPs, and sensitive data
Advanced BLE Attacks
- Breaking insecure pairing configurations
- Cracking weak encryption implementations
- Machine-in-the-Middle (MITM) and relay attacks using Raspberry Pi
- Injecting packets and hijacking active connections
- Jamming BLE communication using low-cost ESP32 hardware
Real-World Device Assessments
- Full security assessment of a simulated BLE-enabled car system
- Replay attacks and encryption analysis
- Reverse engineering vendor-specific BLE protocols
- Advanced challenge: attacking a “secure-by-design” smart lock
Extended Topics & Emerging Tech
- Bluetooth 5 & Bluetooth 6 security overview
- Bluetooth Mesh attack surface
- Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) vulnerabilities
- BLE device firmware flashing and modification
- Developing and adjusting custom BLE training firmware
Training Experience & Expectations
- Extremely hands-on, hardware-driven training
- Individual lab environments and attack kits
- Real radio-layer exploitation not emulation
- Optional advanced homework challenges post-training
Participants will leave with the confidence to conduct professional BLE security assessments and continue research independently.
Who Should Attend
This training is ideal for:
- Penetration testers and red teamers
- Security researchers
- IoT, embedded, and hardware security professionals
- BLE device designers and developers
- Anyone serious about wireless device security
Skill Level
Beginner to Intermediate
No prior Bluetooth knowledge required.
Participant Requirements
Participants should bring:
- Laptop (Windows, Linux, or macOS x86/ARM) : 40GB free disk space, Ability to run a virtual machine & 2× USB-A ports (or hub)
- Smartphone (Android preferred; devices will also be available onsite)
Basic familiarity with Linux or Python is helpful but not mandatory.
What Participants Will Receive
Each participant will receive:
- Extensive course material (1000+ pages)
- Preconfigured virtual machines and tools
- Source code, documentation, and binaries
- Take-home BLE hardware kit (~$150 value) including: Raspberry Pi with BLE tooling, nRF52 devkit (BLE device + sniffer), TI CC2652 SniffLE, ESP32 with training firmware & BLE USB dongles
This setup enables continued practice long after CSA XCON ends.
Trainer
This training will be delivered by a seasoned hardware and embedded security expert, with over two decades of experience assessing firmware, wireless protocols, and electronic access control systems for financial institutions, manufacturers, and startups. The trainer is a frequent speaker at major international security conferences and focuses heavily on BLE and NFC/RFID security research, smart locks, and real-world device exploitation.