nhhvhyJul 2026Strongly recommends
If you feel like going down an elevator rabbithole, Deviant Ollam has quite a few talks/videos about all sorts of niche elevator stuff. My personal favorite: ▶ this video
in “Elevators” · View on HN
Elevator Hacking: From the Pit to the Penthouse
Elevator Hacking: From the Pit to the Penthouse on HackerTube: recommended by 9 Hacker News commenters across 7 separate months, 2014–2026.
DeviantOllam
Open on YouTubetalk · evergreen
Deviant Ollam's two-hour conference talk explains how elevators work, from the pit and buffers to the car top, controller logic and access-control features. It shows how this knowledge can be used for optimization and for bypassing building security.
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters call it an absorbing, entertaining deep dive on elevator security and the go-to link whenever elevators come up.
- people recommended it
- 9
- separate months
- 7
- strong recommendations
- 6
- discussed on HN
- 2014–2026
“it was so interesting to me that I ended up watching the entire 2 hours in one sitting.”
What HN commenters said
13 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
royjacobsJul 2021Strongly recommends
If you're interested in elevators and the hacking thereof I would also highly recommend this talk: ▶ this video
in “List of Special Elevator Modes” · View on HN
mpdJul 2021Strongly recommends
I ran into ▶ this video (Elevator Hacking: From the Pit to the Penthouse) awhile back, and it was so interesting to me that I ended up watching the entire 2 hours in one sitting.
in “List of Special Elevator Modes” · View on HN
thejenkJun 2019Strongly recommends
Deviant Ollam does another talk with elevator consultant Howard Payne just about elevator security which is fantastic. It's very similar to this one, but goes deeper into the single subject. There are a few versions on YouTube of various lengths, but here's the 2 hour version: ▶ this video
in “I'll Let Myself In: Tactics of Physical Pen Testers (2017) [video]” · View on HN
unixheroJul 2018Strongly recommends
Yes. That's the shorter censored versoion. I recommend the full 2 hour version, with all the secrets: ▶ this video My second favourite talk: You spent all that money and your still got owned: [link] I even watch these again and again.
in “Ask HN: What talks or videos do you suggest to watch on a long flight?” · View on HN
_asummersApr 2016Strongly recommends
And watch this[0] entire (super entertaining) talk from Hope X about elevator security. You get a pretty good feal for how the safety measures work after watching it. [0] ▶ this video
in “Mosh: the mobile shell” · View on HN
Show 7 more comments
ben_baiJul 2021Recommends
SimTower started as elevator simulator, and was then turned into a game. Also, this is a great talk if you want to know more about elevators: ▶ this video
in “List of Special Elevator Modes” · View on HN
wolrahJun 2021Recommends
Relevant video discussing fire keys and other common keys: [link] And since this thread is about elevators, I have to also mention another video of theirs: ▶ this video
in “Elevator Saga – An elevator programming game” · View on HN
lathiatDec 2018Recommends
Deviant Ollam - The Hotel Room Gourmet [link] Also not 2018 but his elevator with Howard Payne talk: [link] (1h version) ▶ this video (2h version) And the search for the perfect door: [link]
in “Ask HN: Best talks of 2018?” · View on HN
djsumdogDec 2018Cites it
There was an elevator hacking talk that went into the buffers at the bottom of the elevator. You may have seen them in elevators that have glass on the outside of the shaft like in malls and hotels. The elevator never rests on those. Those are to take the impact of an elevator that crashes. Inspectors will often test the buffers as well as part of routine maintenance: ▶ this video
in “Can Repelling Magnets Replace the Spring in a Pogo Stick?” · View on HN
eatkinsonMar 2016Cites it
I don't know about subways, but elevators should never be a part of a building's security because they're so easy to hack[1]. [1]: ▶ this video
in “In one single image, mainstream media show their utter ignorance of security” · View on HN
maqrOct 2014Cites it
> After a week of recon I found out that the 4th and 5th floors are only accessible with a very specific card via the elevator. I didn’t have that card. Even if I get to the elevator I could not go to the 5th floor See ▶ this video
in “Rappelling Off a Roof” · View on HN
alanfalconJul 2019Joke
It is perhaps more appropriate to say the button frequently does nothing because you frequently lack the proper permissions... ▶ this video
in “Why did moving the mouse cursor cause Windows 95 to run more quickly?” · View on HN
Topics & tags
Security & hackingMechanical & precision engineeringelevatorsphysical securitypen testingaccess controlhacker conference