Cracking the hack: Rice alum wins RP2350 Hacking Challenge

By Charlie Cruz     1/28/25 11:03pm

Identify vulnerabilities, test strategies and defeat the enemy: to the right minds, hacking is much like winning a battle. Duncan College alumnus Aedan Cullen recently made waves in the cybersecurity and hardware engineering communities by hacking one of Raspberry Pi’s most secure microcontrollers, earning a $20,000 prize in the process. Cullen’s achievement was unveiled at the RP2350 Hacking Challenge hosted by Raspberry Pi and Hextree.

The challenge tasked participants with uncovering a hidden secret embedded within the RP2350 chip, a microcontroller boasting Raspberry Pi’s most advanced security features. Cullen’s process began with combing through the RP2350’s technical documentation in search of overlooked vulnerabilities. 

He identified the chip’s one-time programmable memory as a weak point and hypothesized that a power supply fault could force the chip to boot in an insecure state. After meticulous testing, he successfully exploited the vulnerability, bypassing the chip’s defenses to unlock its secret.

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“The RP2350 was designed with cutting-edge safeguards, but this challenge proved there’s always room to learn from creative approaches,” Cullen said. “I saw this as a fun opportunity to test unconventional ideas.”

Reflecting on the foundation of his skills, Cullen pointed to his time at Rice. 

“Classes like [COMP 526]: High Performance Computer Architecture and [ELEC 522]: Advanced VLSI Design taught me to understand digital systems deeply, and I applied that knowledge here,” Cullen said. “The collaborative and exploratory culture at Rice gave me the tools to tackle challenges like this.”

Joseph Cavallaro, professor of electrical and computer engineering, taught Cullen in the computer architecture courses. Cavallaro praised Cullen’s creativity and technical skills, calling him a standout student. 

“I’m not surprised he was able to identify and exploit such a complex vulnerability,” Cavallaro said.

Cullen said his undergraduate experience was shaped by his participation in capture-the-flag cybersecurity competitions and hands-on projects at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen.

“I still miss working on projects late at night in the [OEDK],” Cullen said. “That environment fostered the curiosity and problem-solving skills I needed to succeed in this challenge.”

While praising Rice’s project-based learning opportunities, Walsh said there was a need for more resources dedicated to security-specific challenges. 

“Programs like [Vertically Integrated Projects] are great for hands-on exploration, but there’s room to expand resources for hardware security,” Cullen said.

Cullen, now an engineer at Apple, hopes his accomplishment inspires current Rice students to take risks and pursue challenges that excite them. 

“You don’t have to know everything to succeed — you just need curiosity and the drive to try new ideas,” Cullen said. “Focus on what excites you, and the rest will follow.”

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