Kickstarter sensation Flipper Zero is described as “a cyber dolphin that loves to hack,” but it’s an open-source multi-tool that was designed for research and testing purposes.
The latest TikTok trend device costs $169. There are several who defines it as ‘the Tamagotchi for hackers’ since it has an interface that is quite reminiscent of the dynamics of the famous virtual pet from the 90s.
What is Flipper Zero Used For?
Flipper has a built-in CC1101 chip that can transmit and receive, and a built-in 433MHz frequency antenna, making it a powerful device capable of a range of up to 100 meters.
You can perform any digital communication in your applications, such as connecting with IoT devices and access systems.
Also, as a curiosity, it uses the 433 MHz to communicate with other Flipper Zero devices.Â
In this way, we could interact with other users who also have this Tamagotchi for hackers.
It also allows the detection of low-frequency cards. They are widely used in access systems. They are not safe at all today, as we know. They could easily be cloned and read the information.Â
Is Flipper Zero Worth It?Â
Flipper Zero will allow you to do all kinds of mischief with any device, from security doors to computer hacks.Â
- Infrared Transmitter: It includes a growing library of remote codes.
- RFID & NFC Reader: RFID is an increasingly common technology that allows small amounts of data to be transmitted from a non-powered device, such as an access tag.
The Flipper Zero can read RFID and NFC card values to save and play them back. - Power: It has a 1.4-inch low-power LCD screen that is perfectly visible in daylight, with a five-button directional panel and a 433 MHz antenna that has a range of 100 meters and works by 5V. It can run for up to 30 days thanks to Its 2,000 mAh battery.
- Supportive Community: Aside from the basic capabilities of the device, Flipper Zero has a strong community that supports it. There are tons of resources online, and people are finding fun new ways to use their devices all the time, so we encourage you to dig around.
Flipper Zero AlternativesÂ
Today we can find a large number of devices, with very similar and different purposes to Flipper Zero. But the truth is that in the end, they all have certain similarities in their purpose.Â
And this is something that does not stop growing because there is some equipment such as the Raspberry, which allows us to do many things. With some setup, a battery, and a portable mini screen, they can be real hacking machines.Â
Luckily, today we have a lot of security to try to prevent this from happening.
Some of the devices that we can find are:
- Hak5 Lan Turtle: It is a small device that can be connected to network ports, and is capable of performing a lot of tasks. Such as reconnaissance or network scanning. This one is specially designed to be covert, so it allows you to do all this without attracting too much attention. One of its main uses is to perform Man in the Middle attacks.
- WiFi Pineapple: It is dedicated to the analysis of networks and penetration, but with it, you can do many things. Such as a vulnerability scan or packet capture. This has some key advantages, such as the power of its processor and more RAM. Therefore, you can perform more complex tasks with larger amounts of data.
- Alpha Network: It is a high-performance wireless network adapter. Among its functions are a variety of tasks, analysis of wireless networks, and penetration tests. This tool is usually used as a complement to the previous ones. This has very good performance and can handle much higher data transfer rates than a Flipper Zero. The best thing about this is that it allows you to perform many tasks at an advanced level.
Is Flipper Zero Safe?
Bob Zahreddine, a lieutenant with the Glendale Police Department (Los Angeles, USA) and executive officer of High Tech Crime Cops, told WIRED that “Flipper Zero is so customizable” that “there is potential for it to be used in all kinds of crimes”, although he has not witnessed any cases.
Kulagin isn’t particularly worried about the potential of his petty crime tool.
The creator considers “That’s not Flipper’s fault“.
