Feds Want to Ban the World’s Cutest Hacking Device. Experts Say It's a 'Scapegoat'
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4a388g/feds-want-to-ban-the-worlds-cutest-hacking-device-experts-say-its-a-scapegoat
The government of Canada has its sights set on banning the Flipper Zero, an adorable handheld hacking device that is cherished by security researchers and hobbyist hackers and has gained a sizable following on TikTok.
The device is modeled and named after the virtual dolphin from the movie Johnny Mnemonic, and it’s essentially a Tamagotchi you can use to hack stuff. Flipper can scan radio frequencies and clone key fobs, control infrared-based devices, and is generally a kind of Swiss Army knife for security researchers, who actually use it to improve device security. It’s also used by hobbyists who like playing around with computers, and more generally it’s just really adorable. But there's a lot of misinformation floating around about its capabilities due to bombastic—and often staged—videos on TikTok and other social media platforms.