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DEF CON 22 - Deviant Ollam & Howard Payne - Elevator Hacking - From the Pit to the Penthouse

DEFCONConference · talk · Watch on YouTube

Security & hackingMechanical & precision engineering

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.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN brings it up in any thread about elevators or physical security as a fascinating, entertaining deep dive.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “If you liked the original post, you will probably LOVE this DEFCON talk about elevator hacking”

    Fascinating details on elevators and their operating modes

    alexpotato, 2023-03 · Strong recommendation · in “The Door Close Button”

  2. “I watch it like once a year because it always tickles some part of me.”

    Seminal talk covering many elevator modes

    cruffle_duffle, 2026-07 · Strong recommendation · in “Elevators”

  3. “This is a good related talk - goes outside the box on all the ways you can often get into commercial buildings”

    Related Deviant Ollam talk on physical access

    lathiat, 2017-09 · Recommendation · in “Evan Doorbell's Classic Phreaking Tapes”

  4. “Deviant Ollam & Howard Payne did a great talk on Elevator Hacking at Def Con 22.”

    Great Def Con talk on elevator hacking

    lozf, 2021-07 · Recommendation · in “List of Special Elevator Modes”

  5. “It reminded me of Deviant Ollam's stories such has his elevator security talk w/ Howard Payne”

    Pentesting stories about elevator security

    simlevesque, 2026-03 · Recommendation · in “Let's Get Physical”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: elevators, physical security, def con, pen testing, deviant ollam

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