DEF CON 22 - Deviant Ollam & Howard Payne - Elevator Hacking - From the Pit to the Penthouse
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN brings it up in any thread about elevators or physical security as a fascinating, entertaining deep dive.
What it is
Deviant Ollam and Howard Payne give an in-depth DEF CON 22 explanation of how elevators work, from the pit to the penthouse. It covers their control modes and how pen testers use elevators to bypass building security.
Recommended by 5 HN commenters across 6 different months, 2016 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec alexpotato · 2023-03 · on “The Door Close Button”
If you liked the original post, you will probably LOVE this DEFCON talk about elevator hacking: [this video] It also gives a lot of fascinating information about elevators in general and specific operation modes. e.g. there is a "riot mode" where the elevator goes to every floor except the first (or ground in EU) floor aka to the lobby. The idea was that, during a riot, a luxury building in NYC would lock the stairwell access from the lobby but people could still take the elevator to the other floors to visit their neighbors etc
Strong rec cruffle_duffle · 2026-07 · on “Elevators”
If you like elevator hacking don’t forget the seminal DEF CON talk by Deviant Ollam and Howard Payne: [this video] I watch it like once a year because it always tickles some part of me. Like all the different modes you can get an elevator into. The most fancy one people might encounter is when moving into or out of a building. The front office can give you a key to give exclusive control over an elevator so your movers aren’t waiting around on elevators. Put it in that mode and it will stop responding to calls from other floors. Only the person with the key can control the elevator. You get on, select the floor, door closes elevator goes, and then just chills there with the door open waiting for
Recommends lathiat · 2017-09 · on “Evan Doorbell's Classic Phreaking Tapes”
I realise the thread is phone phreaking related and that was kind of the point of your post; but in the spirit of the talk below to think more outside the box... There's a pretty good chance in many cases you can just open the external box with some easy to get (and relatively standard) key. And hit a button. Related: [LINK] This is a good related talk - goes outside the box on all the ways you can often get into commercial buildings without picking (or even in many cases, interacting with) the lock "The Search for the Perfect Door" by Deviant Ollam [LINK] Also good: [LINK] [Howard Payne & Deviant Ollam - This Key is Your Key, This Key is My Key] [this video] [DEF CON 22 - Deviant Ollam & Howard
Recommends lathiat · 2018-12 · on “Ask HN: Best talks of 2018?”
Deviant Ollam - The Hotel Room Gourmet [LINK] Also not 2018 but his elevator with Howard Payne talk: [this video] (1h version) [LINK] (2h version) And the search for the perfect door: [LINK]
Recommends lozf · 2021-07 · on “List of Special Elevator Modes”
Deviant Ollam & Howard Payne did a great talk on Elevator Hacking at Def Con 22. You can catch it at: [LINK] or [this video] [01:00:15]
Recommends simlevesque · 2026-03 · on “Let's Get Physical”
I love pentesting stories. Great blog post, I was smiling while reading most of it. It reminded me of Deviant Ollam's stories such has his elevator security talk w/ Howard Payne: [this video]
Cites DyslexicAtheist · 2016-05 · on “Reverse Engineering a Mysterious UDP Stream in My Hotel”
yeah and deliver some badass mixes of The girl from Ipanema. :-) Though I wonder if he had time to look at the packets long or careful enough. Would have been interesting to inspect all these devices closer too. Were there also other sessions established maybe that could hint at controlling them? E.g. such as volume of the sound? I doubt that the actual elevator would be controlled could be controlled remotely: [this video]
Cites Twisol · 2021-11 · on “Saintcon: Lock Picking Lawyer Keynote”
> You can break a window open or just find an unlocked door if you are looking to do some bad shit. > A higher security lock on your home isn’t going to make your flimsy door harder to kick down, or your window harder to break From the keynote, that's why LPL puts a heavy focus on bike locks, gun safe locks, etc. The audiences for those locks have a more vested interest in physical security than mere "social conventions". A well-locked bike makes it more difficult for a thief to get all the / enough value from the target. A well-locked gun safe prevents accidents and saves lives. Also, I live in an apartment on an upper floor. No accessible windows. The only viable way into my residence is t