Hands On With Flipper Zero, the Hacker Tool Blowing Up on TikTok (Wired)

[Jason]

This device looks to be very interesting as a pen-testing tool. I want one just to see how much it picks up so I know what information my devices or other devices around me are leaking which is the main point of pen-testing, really, looking for vulnerabilities.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Indeed, itââ,¬â,,¢s easy to imagine how someone could break the law or even just get up to some petty mischief with this device. For instance, not only was I able to clone the ID badge of my office with Flipper Zero, I was able to record the signal that my neighborââ,¬â,,¢s garage door opener makes when he pulls into his driveway. Older cars that donââ,¬â,,¢t use rolling code encryption are likely unlockable with the device, and my Flipper Zero was able to read my credit card number through my wallet and pants.

Full article here: https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-flipper-zero-tiktok/



P.S. The article refers to the readers having probably heard about the tool blowing up on TikTok. You know you're getting old when you barely know what TikTok is, but certainly don't look at many (if any) TikTok videos. It's weird that a security writer would be watching TikTok videos but maybe they take precautions.

[ssfc72]

Thanks for the info and Link, Jason.

When you called the thing a pen-testing tool, I was thinking that was an odd name to call the device, because I comparing it to things like pen drives (usb flash drives)
I just now realized that pen-testing was short form for penetration testing. :-)

The device, I think, is basically an enhanced SDR (software defined radio) device.
The ability to detect IR signals surprised me until I remembered that most of the $20 SDR dongles , are just devices that were made for receiving digital over the air tv signals, in Europe. The SDR's came with an IR tv remote control, to select different digital tv stations.

https://medium.com/@rxseger/receiving-ir-signals-with-rtl-sdr-dongles-5a8658a44b90

[Jason]

Thanks for the info and Link, Jason.

When you called the thing a pen-testing tool, I was thinking that was an odd name to call the device, because I comparing it to things like pen drives (usb flash drives)
I just now realized that pen-testing was short form for penetration testing. :-)

The device, I think, is basically an enhanced SDR (software defined radio) device.
The ability to detect IR signals surprised me until I remembered that most of the $20 SDR dongles , are just devices that were made for receiving digital over the air tv signals, in Europe. The SDR's came with an IR tv remote control, to select different digital tv stations.

https://medium.com/@rxseger/receiving-ir-signals-with-rtl-sdr-dongles-5a8658a44b90

Yeah, I should have been clearer on the pen-testing bit. So many pen-like things.

I guess it is an SDR device. I hadn't thought of it like that. You can do everything it can do with a laptop and a wifi card that can be operated in promiscuous mode. Jump in if I explained that incorrectly, cod3poet. But having to lug a laptop around it especially with it open walking around isn't easy and might raise some eyebrows. I checked and it is $170 USD. I don't think I'm getting one anytime soon!

That's cool that you can receive IR signals, too. So you could walk down the street changing stranger tv channels. Nice. Or more likely, streaming channels, assuming the remotes they use still use IR.