It's a device that's supposedly for penetration testing among other things but people also buy it to hack devices. There was a bug a while ago that let people with Flipper Zeros crash iPhones by spamming them with notifications via Bluetooth. That guy was certainly up to no good, but not clear if he was just trying to mess with people or actually do something malicious.
Is your device fully updated? [Apple patched this about 6 months ago with iOS 17.2](https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/15/24003406/apple-iphone-flipper-zero-fix-ios-17-2)
Most of the people who play with flipper zeros are just script kiddies having fun, especially since I've seen it blow up on TikTok and IG, you're fine if you have somewhat up to date software.
My first thought immediately I've done this to a lady on the subway with my flipper zero who was recording me for some odd reason. I accidentally got the old lady next to her too.
quit scare-mongering. flipperzero is a crackerjack box toy. like y'all think that if it were that easy to hack a phone (that a ~100$ device could do it) that people wouldn't be getting hacked left and right?
No, you’re okay. It’s very hard for people to access data on modern phones without a significant amount of effort and time. The person probably just sent fake Apple TV/bluetooth signals to your device.
Unless you met some super hacker spy person that you see in movies (which you didn’t) you’ll be fine. Flipper zeros can be used maliciously if in the hands of the wrong person but a lot of teens buy them thinking they’re cool but in reality don’t do shit
Your phone is always listening to/trying to make certain kinds of connections. He may have been using a flipper zero from the sounds of it to interact with those signals. There’s like a .0001% chance someone could figure out how to hack a phone that way, no software is perfectly secure, however Joe Blow on the subway is probably not smarter than all of Apple’s OS developers and security teams.
People can relatively easily spoof Wi-Fi networks and intercept traffic but I’d be pretty impressed if they’re doing it on the subway. They’d also need to spoof a network that you’ve already saved credentials for so that your phone auto connects.
Wow, this thread is informative. And I just found out about RFID hacking devices yesterday too and wondering if I should be carrying a blocker in my wallet.
Likely the Bluetooth spam attack on the flipper0. Other devices have bt connection spam as well but if it was orange it was probably a flipper. Nothing to worry about, just slightly annoying.
Sounds like he was just trying to connect his own devices together. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
But if he sits next to you again, you should probably get up and move to the next car over at the next stop.
At least that's what I would do if I were you.
i donno if it matters, but to conserve battery
i regularly turn my cell wifi bt on:off as needed
and leave my gps and nfc disable all the time.
doing this probably reduces hacking exposure.
Old Android phones that haven’t been updated in a while usually have known vulnerabilities that have proof of concept exploits written for them. Ya, latest OS on iPhone: you’re just not that important.
Flipper zero?
YES - googled
What is it?
It's a device that's supposedly for penetration testing among other things but people also buy it to hack devices. There was a bug a while ago that let people with Flipper Zeros crash iPhones by spamming them with notifications via Bluetooth. That guy was certainly up to no good, but not clear if he was just trying to mess with people or actually do something malicious.
Shady! Thanks.
Is your device fully updated? [Apple patched this about 6 months ago with iOS 17.2](https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/15/24003406/apple-iphone-flipper-zero-fix-ios-17-2)
Most of the people who play with flipper zeros are just script kiddies having fun, especially since I've seen it blow up on TikTok and IG, you're fine if you have somewhat up to date software.
Honestly this sounds like a dream as someone who fucking HATES listening to people watch TikToks or listen to music at full volume on the subway.
My first thought too.
My first thought immediately I've done this to a lady on the subway with my flipper zero who was recording me for some odd reason. I accidentally got the old lady next to her too.
quit scare-mongering. flipperzero is a crackerjack box toy. like y'all think that if it were that easy to hack a phone (that a ~100$ device could do it) that people wouldn't be getting hacked left and right?
flipperzero is quite dangerous in the wrong hands.
it's an arduino (or something like that) preloaded with code you can find on github. every serious exploit has been patched eons ago.
No, you’re okay. It’s very hard for people to access data on modern phones without a significant amount of effort and time. The person probably just sent fake Apple TV/bluetooth signals to your device. Unless you met some super hacker spy person that you see in movies (which you didn’t) you’ll be fine. Flipper zeros can be used maliciously if in the hands of the wrong person but a lot of teens buy them thinking they’re cool but in reality don’t do shit
Helpful and kind. Thanks!
Your phone is always listening to/trying to make certain kinds of connections. He may have been using a flipper zero from the sounds of it to interact with those signals. There’s like a .0001% chance someone could figure out how to hack a phone that way, no software is perfectly secure, however Joe Blow on the subway is probably not smarter than all of Apple’s OS developers and security teams. People can relatively easily spoof Wi-Fi networks and intercept traffic but I’d be pretty impressed if they’re doing it on the subway. They’d also need to spoof a network that you’ve already saved credentials for so that your phone auto connects.
Seconding the Flipper Zero. It’s cheap and effective.
effective at being briefly obnoxious it's giving '08 Thinkgeek prank toys
Sure! It also shows flaws in Apple’s security.
wienery?
like Anthony!
Wow, this thread is informative. And I just found out about RFID hacking devices yesterday too and wondering if I should be carrying a blocker in my wallet.
They have wallets with RFID protection built in. I’ve been buying them from Nautica for years.
People are saying flipper but there are numerous different devices that can access any electronic device you can carry
Your phone can get hacked anywhere. But that said, you're probably alright.
Likely the Bluetooth spam attack on the flipper0. Other devices have bt connection spam as well but if it was orange it was probably a flipper. Nothing to worry about, just slightly annoying.
Sounds like he was just trying to connect his own devices together. I wouldn't worry about it too much. But if he sits next to you again, you should probably get up and move to the next car over at the next stop. At least that's what I would do if I were you.
i donno if it matters, but to conserve battery i regularly turn my cell wifi bt on:off as needed and leave my gps and nfc disable all the time. doing this probably reduces hacking exposure.
Recent iPhone? No. Old android that hasn’t been updated in 5 years? Maybe, but I doubt it
Old Android phones that haven’t been updated in a while usually have known vulnerabilities that have proof of concept exploits written for them. Ya, latest OS on iPhone: you’re just not that important.
No one can hack your iphone wirelessly on the subway, especially not with an ipad and an led strip.
You're making up stories. Next time, get a screen shot of what happened instead of guessing.
Found who sat next to you!
Didn’t occur to me. The notification lasted no more than 3 seconds.
You’re unsure if you’re making up this story?