Everything Dirty You Could Do With a Flipper Zero.

Greetings and welcome to Evil Week, our yearly exploration of all the slightly dubious hacks we would typically advise against. We have everything you need to be successfully unsavoury, whether you want to play intricate mind games, weasel your way into free drinks, or, er, launder some money.

The Flipper Zero is a device that can be used for mild evil, so let's examine it since it's evil week at Lifehacker. This multitool fits in your pocket and is useful for various hacking and penetration testing tasks, despite its toy-like appearance. It provides a simple method for everyone, even beginners, to engage with the invisible waves that are all around us, such as radio, wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, RFID, and NFC. For less than $200, you can purchase something akin to a hacker's Swiss army knife.

A Flipper Zero can be used for a variety of tasks, such as opening doors in hotels, cheating on video games, controlling TVs, and replacing work IDs. You could probably see where the "evil" part could enter the picture. However, its potential to commit crimes is greatly exaggerated, and it's merely a tool.

Is it legal to use the Flipper Zero?

The Flipper Zero is allowed in the US even though it could be used illegally. However, some people seem to be feeling uneasy about it. In 2022, a cargo of 15,000 Flippers was intercepted by customs but subsequently cleared. Amazon prohibited the Flipper Zero's sale on their website in April 2023 after South Dakota Fusion Center notified law enforcement agencies nationwide about the device's possible use by domestic terrorists. The Flipper Zero is a "card-skimming device.". ".

What's the operation of a Flipper Zero?

In essence, the Flipper Zero is a two-way remote control with the ability to read, store, send, and receive different wireless signals. Some of these functions can be achieved by a multitude of other devices, but the Flipper integrates them all. Anyone could pick one up and use it to turn off the TV at their neighbor's house or read the NFC code on a credit card because it is also simple to understand. The Flipper Zero's gamified interface and user-friendliness may be interpreted as a way to demystify the technology that is all around us or as a way to arm the less knowledgeable with a potent tool for mayhem. How you use it is what matters.

With a Flipper Zero, what are your options?

These are a few typical uses for the Flipper Zero, but there are many more things you can do with it. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Utilize it as a universal remote control.

Your stereo, TV, air conditioner, and other appliances can all be controlled from one device by using the Flipper Zero in place of an infrared remote control. Unless the device is paired with a specific remote control, you can use the Flipper to control any nearby IR device by using "brute force" to send its library of IR codes. Consequently, you could use it to adjust the TV channel at a bar or muffle your neighbor's stereo at two in the morning. Although you shouldn't, you could. ( ).

Take the temperature of your pet.

A Flipper can read your pet's identification number if it has a microchip implanted or, if it is a thermo chip, take its temperature. In just a few seconds, your pet's number will appear when you hold it close to the RFID chip. You can use the Flipper to "scan" your pet and locate the chip if you are unsure of its placement. It, like no scanner, is unable to find a misplaced animal.

Replaceable keyless entry cards.

Whether it's a hotel room key or your work badge, if you have an ID that opens a door, you can (probably) copy it using a Flipper Zero. That may sound like a security nightmare, but in order to clone, you need the original key, which means you can only open the hotel room lock that you already have a keycard for. Besides, they will make you another copy at the front desk.

Study the details on your credit card.

It is possible for a Flipper Zero to read credit cards. Although it's not as terrible as it sounds, this feature is what caused Amazon to ban the device. You cannot use a Flipper to make purchases or drain someone's bank account; it can only read the card number and occasionally the date when scanned with a Flipper. It is unable to transmit information or read the CVC number.

smartphones that crash.

By bombarding nearby Android and iPhone devices with Bluetooth messages, you can use a Flipper Zero to cause them to crash. The "crash my enemy's phone" app can be used, but it's not exactly simple to use—you have to load a developer build of third-party firmware.

Unlock the Tesla charging connector.

Although you cannot steal a Tesla with a flipper, you can trick a Tesla owner by prying open the charging port (assuming that the vulnerability has not been patched). ( ).

Open the security gates or garage doors.

This is debatable. A device such as this can be used to open certain older security gates and garage doors. Storing a code on a device like this wouldn't work because newer models use rolling codes and have better security.

From a distance, ring someone's doorbell.

This will only work with certain wireless doorbell models, usually older models (Ring or Nest doorbells are probably safe). You will be able to play ding-dong-ditch from a distance if you read the doorbell to determine the correct frequency.

creating Amiibo clones.

Essentially, Amiibos from Nintendo are RFID chips encased in figurines. The code can be scanned, emulated, and fed back into your Nintendo Switch using a Flipper. Alternatively, you can unlock in-game extras without purchasing a vinyl doll by using this database of Amiibo codes, which allows you to bypass the middleman.

Investigate your surroundings' invisible realm.

Flippers aren't a universal hack-anything device, so many buyers are probably disappointed by its limitations. That being said, it's a tool for examining all the surrounding invisible fields. Utilize it to find out the exact location of your weakest wifi signal or the frequency at which your iPhone emits infrared radiation towards your face. It allows you to check the security of all of your gadgets, including locks, garage doors, doorbells, and more. In order to ensure that nobody else can use a Flipper to harm you.

Things not possible for a Flipper Zero.

There is a lot of false information out there regarding the Flipper Zero's capabilities. There are safeguards in place to prevent the most blatantly illegal uses, so it's not a pocket device that can hack anything instantly. (Of course, this does not imply that Flipper Zero itself cannot be compromised to present more sinister options. These are some evil things that the Flipper isn't able to do, at least not straight out of the box.

Take an automobile.

You cannot open and start a car, not even your own, with a Flipper, despite what some TikTok videos may claim. Autos with keyless entry open when a radio signal is received by a receiver in the car from the fob. For a Flipper, that would be simple, but the rolling codes for keyless entry are unique to each car, with the exception of the earliest models. It is therefore possible that you will only be able to use it once. Nevertheless, installing a one-time car door opener is a simple method to wow your pals. (There might, however, be an exception. ( ).

Gas prices should be adjusted.

The videos on TikTok purporting to show a Flipper user altering a gas station sign's prices are phony.

pilfer cash from an ATM.

Without a doubt, a handheld device sold in stores cannot be used to empty an ATM.

Adjust the traffic signals.

The reason this one is complicated is that, although you could use a Flipper to control a set of external infrared LED lights to simulate an Opticom, a device that can alter some traffic signals, the LED lights are actually the ones changing the signal, and you could also use another device to control them.

Access the hotel room of another person.

It is not possible for the Flipper to open a locked hotel room door without first physically holding the card close to the device, even though it can store and transmit the RFID signals required for that purpose. It is therefore impossible to unlock every door in a hotel unless you manage to obtain a master keycard from the establishment. Why then would you require the Flipper?

The Flipper Zero: is it evil?

There is no evil in the Flipper Zero. In fact, it's overrated when it comes to malicious hacking. The Flipper is a useful and stylish toolkit that comes in an eye-catching package. However, it cannot be used to steal someone's identity or break into a bank vault. If someone was really evil, they could smash windows with a hammer rather than drive nails, but they could still do a limited number of evil things with a Flipper. Stated differently, it is merely a tool. Your usage of it is what causes the evil.

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