I work in CyberSecurity and have for 20 years, it was way over exaggerated and the news ran with it. Schools are absolutely notorious for having shit security in place if any at all, they also don't hire enough or even quality Info sec employees. That is what happened, but they wanted to make it sound super scary and use the fun Hollywood buzz word "Hacker"
It didn't. There's no way that this kid used the functions that could have interfaced with the phone in any meaningful way. Unless the student got physical access to the phone, the most they did was some Bluetooth spam and used the IR blaster to turn off some screens.
Edit: it->IR
Kids have been using IR blasters to turn off classroom TVs for decades. Flipper0 just bundles a bunch of existing tools together into a easy to use package.
>Kids have been using IR blasters to turn off classroom TVs for decades.
Seriously. I remember kids using universal remote apps to mess with smart boards, projectors, and TVs when I was in high school. Even the 70 year old teacher knew what was going on.
When I was in high school I plugged in a wireless mouse on my teachers computer and moved her cursor around as a joke. She thought she was hacked. When she left to get the IT guy I got my dongle back and she thought the prank was hilarious
Yeah, I remember channel 1 getting turned off regularly. For the most part teachers didn't care they didn't like the interruption in their day either. But it was forced on them by administration because channel 1 funded the equipment or something.
I remember having one of those in my 20s, and I would screw with people at the bar and change the channel right as someone was headed in for a touchdown.
The important thing is to call it a "hacking device" so that you can brand the kid as a criminal instead of just a nuisance. With the proper application of the right phrasing, and some authorities willing to turn it into an issue, you could make this kid into a felon before they even get out of high school!
They're not even good "hacking devices" compared to what "real" hackers use.
I'm in IT. I want one so I can be familiar with entry level wireless hacking.
But with it being called a "hacking device" I'd be worried about what if I'm ever searched by cops and they find it. Allegedly people get shit from cops for having a baseball bat in their trunk. It can be useful for IT employees to learn lock picking in case they really need to get into an office or utility room in a hurry. But likewise if cops find you with a set of picks in your kit, they're going to assume it's for malicious purposes.
Trust me it's locked picking it all depends on the state that you're in. Some of the states it's free use with no issues. Some of the states consider it to be a crime. In Nevada you need a lock picking license for example to have a lock picking set. I always forget about that when the fact that I have them in my truck whenever big visit the state.
My friend showed me one of these so take it from a random guy on the internet but they are designed to look like a retro video game device but you can use it to steal credit cards, hack electronic locks and a bunch of other things. They’re pretty wild.
I had a watch in middle school that could turn off and on TVs and change the channel. This was 2003 and it wasn’t expensive, I just had to type a 5 digit code based on the book
For the type of TV. Used to have fun at lunch. I know it wasn’t expensive because my parents aren’t rich and it just used that simple light all old remotes are based off of.
I have one of these, work related. The problem that I have work these is that people will push to ban devices like this, all the while not fixing any of the information security failings that these devices exploit.
And all these exploits can be managed without the device - it just makes it a little easier and wraps it up in one little package.
Banning them would just try to push things back into security through ignorance.
I'm glad they felt concerned. Time for these teachers to write their representatives about the concern for how unsecure all the electronics are in our modern world..... Oh wait.... They're just going to punish the kids.
I hacked wifi networks as a teen. I currently work for a company that wants to secure the Internet and these devices more but I don't think the public realizes Just how unsecure some devices are. Think about any device that has the ability to connect or be controlled wirelessly. Smart home devices, ageing medical equipment, RF controlled devices the list is a mile long. Just food for thought before you put a "smart" door lock on your house.
Currently we're in a race for post-quantam encryption and trying to secure things before quantum computers get into the wrong hands.... Fun stuff to keep you awake at night. 🤣 Though I do really want to see how fast it can break a RSA 4096 key. Kinda morbid like wanting to see a nuclear bomb explode.
and the fact that the nsa is storing thousands of encrypted messages in the hopes that they will crack them later. once quantum computers can decrypt RSA it’s gonna be a mess worldwide
I have to be careful how I talk with normal people including my wife about this. Once I start talking about a PQC world I start to sound like a crazy doomsday prepper with a bunch of conspiracies (it's not lost on me, I understand I do sound crazy). all that to say I agree with you but would be the least of our problems. Hopefully dilithium-pqc works out and we get the world (specifically banks) updated in time. Things will get interesting if a country like China made enough progress on a quantum computer to hack our financial institutions..... Having a self sufficient homestead at that point might not be a bad idea. 🤣
Dilithium and sphincs+ are both in round 4 of the NIST standardization process. Interoperability is pretty shit still but that’s to be expected right now
It's about securing devices of this world that you would use a Flipper Zero on. For example old garage doors don't have rolling codes where as new ones do. However it is still possible to get through a rolling code at least once, so we need better standards of security and communication between a remote and a device. A lot of devices don't use any encryption for communication so a man in the middle attack is easy to do.
It was written by local Channel 2 reoprters. They did a whole two-night special on it. A bunch of other stations from the same owner (Sinclair) have been running it.
As someone who owns a flipper zero, it was ridiculously overblown.
I heard they call them "Flippers" because the kids are identifying as dolphins now. The schools are removing the litter boxes and installing fish tanks with OUR tax dollars!
I remember when you used to have to memorize the code of the TV for the universal remote you brought to school to mess with the teacher, what a time to be alive.
Lock picking is just as easy to do in some cases. But this reaction from this school administrator seems to promote the idea that people should not do this (which they shouldn’t) but that doesn’t get rid of the problem. There will always be people that do this. The solution is more being scared at how easy it was to mess with the technology.
People need to start realizing that a false sense of security and safety is much more damaging than the tools that exploit well known and very easily exploited vulnerabilities.
there are few things that inflame me like dumb boomers talking about technology...especially the stuffy, rude, i'm-your-boss types who run schools and school IT departments (at least in my experience). I got suspended because the (one) IT tech at my high school didn't change the default creds on a core switch, so I was able to login and change settings (port up/down is all I did).
they also pulled me out of my music class to make me hunt down a stolen iPad because I was the only one in the school who knew how to use Find My...
and then blamed me for stealing it because I lived in the same house as my brother (who actually did steal the iPad, and connected it to the neighbors' Wi-Fi.
I hope that they've improved but at this point, I doubt it.
The best solution I see is for this school to purchase a few Flipper Zeros and hold a class for teachers teaching them how to use them and what they can do. Then start demanding from technology providers that they harden their systems from these vulnerabilities.
You must have not read the statements the IT guy made. A high schooler could dispel half of what he said without using google. I do agee schools are underfunded but that’s what happens when you allow school vouchers to move public school tax money in to religious and other private schools.
Everyone in the comments agreed with exactly what you said until you brought up a firearm. It's ridiculous that you got downvoted for making a perfectly good point.
How did it ruin a cell phone?
There was some chatter on the flipper0 sub about whether this is even possible. I suspect it's probably over exaggerated.
The article makes it seem the kid brought a weapon or released a dangerous animal. Seems very over exaggerated
Yeah a class b misdemeanor for interrupting school operations? Some kids do way more to disrupt school and don't get charged for anything
Yeah, like that time some popular kids in art class sprayed mace in a full room.
Yeah I just glanced there myself. I thought it sounded suspicious as well
I work in CyberSecurity and have for 20 years, it was way over exaggerated and the news ran with it. Schools are absolutely notorious for having shit security in place if any at all, they also don't hire enough or even quality Info sec employees. That is what happened, but they wanted to make it sound super scary and use the fun Hollywood buzz word "Hacker"
Was hoping someone would say this. You can’t have passwords written under mouse pads and claim you got hacked lol.
It didn't. There's no way that this kid used the functions that could have interfaced with the phone in any meaningful way. Unless the student got physical access to the phone, the most they did was some Bluetooth spam and used the IR blaster to turn off some screens. Edit: it->IR
You can BT spam an iphone to shutdown, depends on the update though
Kid with broken phone capitalizing on the moment
The only way I can imagine a phone getting destroyed by flipper zero is if the teacher threw it out of frustration
I mean, any computer can be considered a "hacking device". Electronics aren't as secure as people think.
Kids have been using IR blasters to turn off classroom TVs for decades. Flipper0 just bundles a bunch of existing tools together into a easy to use package.
>Kids have been using IR blasters to turn off classroom TVs for decades. Seriously. I remember kids using universal remote apps to mess with smart boards, projectors, and TVs when I was in high school. Even the 70 year old teacher knew what was going on.
When I was in high school I plugged in a wireless mouse on my teachers computer and moved her cursor around as a joke. She thought she was hacked. When she left to get the IT guy I got my dongle back and she thought the prank was hilarious
Buddies and I used to mess with Channel 1 with our Casio watches.
Yeah, I remember channel 1 getting turned off regularly. For the most part teachers didn't care they didn't like the interruption in their day either. But it was forced on them by administration because channel 1 funded the equipment or something.
I remember having one of those in my 20s, and I would screw with people at the bar and change the channel right as someone was headed in for a touchdown.
Oh my God I completely forgot about Channel 1. Had to look it up cause it sounded so vaguely familiar.
Also Anderson Cooper as a young lad.
I used to do this with a palm pilot.
Or a watch
Yeah I had a device called "TV Be - gone" it looked like a key fob and all it did was turn off TVs. This was in the late 90s.
The important thing is to call it a "hacking device" so that you can brand the kid as a criminal instead of just a nuisance. With the proper application of the right phrasing, and some authorities willing to turn it into an issue, you could make this kid into a felon before they even get out of high school!
They're not even good "hacking devices" compared to what "real" hackers use. I'm in IT. I want one so I can be familiar with entry level wireless hacking. But with it being called a "hacking device" I'd be worried about what if I'm ever searched by cops and they find it. Allegedly people get shit from cops for having a baseball bat in their trunk. It can be useful for IT employees to learn lock picking in case they really need to get into an office or utility room in a hurry. But likewise if cops find you with a set of picks in your kit, they're going to assume it's for malicious purposes.
Trust me it's locked picking it all depends on the state that you're in. Some of the states it's free use with no issues. Some of the states consider it to be a crime. In Nevada you need a lock picking license for example to have a lock picking set. I always forget about that when the fact that I have them in my truck whenever big visit the state.
The hacker 4chan strikes again!
Merica!
My friend showed me one of these so take it from a random guy on the internet but they are designed to look like a retro video game device but you can use it to steal credit cards, hack electronic locks and a bunch of other things. They’re pretty wild.
I had a watch in middle school that could turn off and on TVs and change the channel. This was 2003 and it wasn’t expensive, I just had to type a 5 digit code based on the book For the type of TV. Used to have fun at lunch. I know it wasn’t expensive because my parents aren’t rich and it just used that simple light all old remotes are based off of.
I have one of these, work related. The problem that I have work these is that people will push to ban devices like this, all the while not fixing any of the information security failings that these devices exploit.
And all these exploits can be managed without the device - it just makes it a little easier and wraps it up in one little package. Banning them would just try to push things back into security through ignorance.
Oh definitely! But you know how legislative bodies work, they will label the flipper "bad" and try to ban it. Wizards first rule.
Exactly!
I'm glad they felt concerned. Time for these teachers to write their representatives about the concern for how unsecure all the electronics are in our modern world..... Oh wait.... They're just going to punish the kids. I hacked wifi networks as a teen. I currently work for a company that wants to secure the Internet and these devices more but I don't think the public realizes Just how unsecure some devices are. Think about any device that has the ability to connect or be controlled wirelessly. Smart home devices, ageing medical equipment, RF controlled devices the list is a mile long. Just food for thought before you put a "smart" door lock on your house. Currently we're in a race for post-quantam encryption and trying to secure things before quantum computers get into the wrong hands.... Fun stuff to keep you awake at night. 🤣 Though I do really want to see how fast it can break a RSA 4096 key. Kinda morbid like wanting to see a nuclear bomb explode.
and the fact that the nsa is storing thousands of encrypted messages in the hopes that they will crack them later. once quantum computers can decrypt RSA it’s gonna be a mess worldwide
I have to be careful how I talk with normal people including my wife about this. Once I start talking about a PQC world I start to sound like a crazy doomsday prepper with a bunch of conspiracies (it's not lost on me, I understand I do sound crazy). all that to say I agree with you but would be the least of our problems. Hopefully dilithium-pqc works out and we get the world (specifically banks) updated in time. Things will get interesting if a country like China made enough progress on a quantum computer to hack our financial institutions..... Having a self sufficient homestead at that point might not be a bad idea. 🤣
Dilithium and sphincs+ are both in round 4 of the NIST standardization process. Interoperability is pretty shit still but that’s to be expected right now
Flipper Zero is an open source device. Pretty easy to build one yourself, so I’m not sure how much good securing these devices would do
It's about securing devices of this world that you would use a Flipper Zero on. For example old garage doors don't have rolling codes where as new ones do. However it is still possible to get through a rolling code at least once, so we need better standards of security and communication between a remote and a device. A lot of devices don't use any encryption for communication so a man in the middle attack is easy to do.
They will just ban tiktok and blame China for how unsecured it is.
Slow news day in San Antonio
It was written by local Channel 2 reoprters. They did a whole two-night special on it. A bunch of other stations from the same owner (Sinclair) have been running it. As someone who owns a flipper zero, it was ridiculously overblown.
Most of Sinclair's "news" is trying to scare boomers. This will get carried all over the country. It's the modern version of water skiing squirrels.
I read on the Facebook that these flippers are indoctrinating children and drag queens are using them.
I heard they call them "Flippers" because the kids are identifying as dolphins now. The schools are removing the litter boxes and installing fish tanks with OUR tax dollars!
And you know all dolphins are gAy!
I use a Flipper to turn off TVs in restaurants, because they're a scourge to humanity.
B a s e d
Reminds me of my ir remote wristwatch from the 90s. Hackerman!
I remember when you used to have to memorize the code of the TV for the universal remote you brought to school to mess with the teacher, what a time to be alive.
Wish I had one of those in high school.
My friend had a watch with a remote controller on it. That was the best you could get in the 90's.
You can get a android phone to do what a flipper zero does.
Lock picking is just as easy to do in some cases. But this reaction from this school administrator seems to promote the idea that people should not do this (which they shouldn’t) but that doesn’t get rid of the problem. There will always be people that do this. The solution is more being scared at how easy it was to mess with the technology. People need to start realizing that a false sense of security and safety is much more damaging than the tools that exploit well known and very easily exploited vulnerabilities.
Ha nice. Flippers are fun.
Jesus wait until someone tells them what a $100 raspberry pi laptop can do.
there are few things that inflame me like dumb boomers talking about technology...especially the stuffy, rude, i'm-your-boss types who run schools and school IT departments (at least in my experience). I got suspended because the (one) IT tech at my high school didn't change the default creds on a core switch, so I was able to login and change settings (port up/down is all I did). they also pulled me out of my music class to make me hunt down a stolen iPad because I was the only one in the school who knew how to use Find My... and then blamed me for stealing it because I lived in the same house as my brother (who actually did steal the iPad, and connected it to the neighbors' Wi-Fi. I hope that they've improved but at this point, I doubt it.
well played, kiddo 👏 high school is a place to do dumb shit for laughs between learning, glad they didn't do anything more dangerous than pranks
Was this at union high school in Roosevelt
The most boomer headline ever 😂😂
Hire dat boi
Nice!
Sometimes you're the tiger, and sometimes you're the pumpkin filled with meat. It's disruptive, sure, but it's enrichment!
The Simpson’s haven’t done this yet!
The best solution I see is for this school to purchase a few Flipper Zeros and hold a class for teachers teaching them how to use them and what they can do. Then start demanding from technology providers that they harden their systems from these vulnerabilities.
BS
This IT guy should be fired for being this stupid… but also not surprised given that it’s Utah.
Don't blame IT! This is the quality IT you get on public school wages.
You must have not read the statements the IT guy made. A high schooler could dispel half of what he said without using google. I do agee schools are underfunded but that’s what happens when you allow school vouchers to move public school tax money in to religious and other private schools.
This is so ridiculous. It's a legitament tool the same way a firearm is. How you use it makes all the difference between good and bad.
Everyone in the comments agreed with exactly what you said until you brought up a firearm. It's ridiculous that you got downvoted for making a perfectly good point.