On: Flipper Zero can spam nearby iPhones with Bluetooth pop-ups

[vorpalhex]

I'm browsing this article on my "hacking device" (my laptop) while using my "hacking program" (a web browser with devtools) to enjoy the experience.

Later I might take my "child mauler" (dog) on a walk.

For a site with "tech" in the name, I expect significantly better than this nonsense. Flipper Zero is a nice packaging of dev tools but nothing fundamentally new. If it makes the author feel better, we can repeat the attacks with a simple esp32 and save a whole bunch of money - though we'd lose out on the cute animations.

[floss_silicate → vorpalhex]

...and shared on Hacker News.

[nickthegreek → vorpalhex]

What in this article is nonsense? It did a decent job of explaining that it needs to be compiled from a 3rd party firmware, how the attack works and a video of said attack.

[lcnPylGDnU4H9OF → nickthegreek]

I wasn't particularly appreciative of the phrasing in the opening sentence:

> Thanks to a popular and relatively cheap hacking tool, hackers can spam your iPhone with annoying pop-ups

Because it seems to place blame (possibly unintentionally) on "a popular and relatively cheap hacking tool" rather than "an individual's choice to annoy the shit out of others".

[yjftsjthsd-h → nickthegreek]

The article can be as nuanced as it wants but if the title calls the thing a "hacking device" that's a fair thing to criticize

[codetrotter → yjftsjthsd-h]

Why? The flipper zero is a very specialised device made for playing with different wireless protocols. (And maybe some wired protocols too?)

I think it’s fair to characterise it as a “hacking device”. As long as we keep in mind that these specialised devices have legitimate uses also.

[nickthegreek → yjftsjthsd-h]

That’s what it is. It’s an affordable and available pen testing tool.

[slt2021 → vorpalhex]

perhaps Flipper is hacking device, same as Hacker News is for hackers in general sense, not for computer security hackers

[vorpalhex → slt2021]

Flipper is not advertised as a "hacking" device.

I agree there are uses of the word hacker that don't mean to exploit, but the author here is not using the term in a positive sense. The author is clearly using it in the perjorative.

[jmprspret → vorpalhex]

The only reason it isn't advertised as a hacking device is probably because of legal reasons.

[dang → vorpalhex]

Ok, we've taken the "hacking device" out of the title above.