Dutch Hackers Create Wi-Fi Sniffing Drone 81
An anonymous reader writes "The WASP, or Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform, has been built out of a hobby-grade airframe and open source Ardupilot autopilot, reports sUASnews. In the words of the Rabbit-Hole website, it's a 'Small Scale, Open Source UAV using off the shelf components. Designed to provide a vehicle to project cyber-offensive and defensive capabilities, and visual / electronic surveillance over distance cheaply and with little risk.'" Want a drone of your own? The makers have some pointers to helpful resources.
Did it actually fly? Broken wing. (Score:5, Interesting)
The photoslides end with a mere broken wing on the takeoff strip. Did it actually fly?
Re:Did it actually fly? Broken wing. (Score:5, Informative)
The makers of the WASP give an interview in the s7e25 episode of Hak5 [hak5.org], where they explain that the platform currently has a very tight flight envelope. It's almost always on the brink of crashing. Quote: "It flies much like a wounded harbor seal would. [...] It's a real juggling act to keep it in the air."
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You can juggle wounded harbor seals?
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Anonymous Coward (Score:1, Insightful)
If you can't work out how to do this yourself without this article, it's going to be of no use to you anyway.
Yes but... (Score:2, Interesting)
Aren't all remote control aircraft (hobbyist planes in particular) UAV's?
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Re:Yes but... (Score:5, Informative)
The meaning of "unmanned" extends to the pilot on the ground. UAVs don't have people on board and can fly more than a straight line in a controlled manner without immediate control input from a pilot on the ground. It's technically illegal to fly UAVs without visual contact in visual flight rules air space.
Re:Yes but... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's technically illegal to fly UAVs without visual contact in visual flight rules air space.
Not quite.
The FAA controls the national airspace with a white-list approach. Everything is illegal unless a specific category of safe flight has been defined. AC 91-57 [faa.gov] defines the Model Aircraft Operating Standards and creates a specific legal exemption for vehicles flown for recreational purposes. This exemption also applies to UAVs, provided they are flown for recreational purposes. However, there is no exemption for operating a UAV for commercial purposes. Even flying an R/C aircraft is illegal if the operator attaches a camera and attempts to sell the resulting aerial imagery!
The FAA recognizes that people and companies other than modelers might be flying UAS with the mistaken understanding that they are legally operating under the authority of AC 91–57. AC 91–57 only applies to modelers, and thus specifically excludes its use by persons or companies for business purposes.
-- from FAA–2006–25714, Unmanned Aircraft Operations in the National Airspace System; Notice of Policy; Opportunity for Feedback (FAA link to pdf is down right now)
Technically, you or I could fly a 1:1 scale F-22 Raptor, but only if it were for recreational purposes.
I want one (Score:1, Offtopic)
With lasers attached to it's head.
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The parent post can serve as a good example of WHY you'd need a laser attached to it's head.
Making sure grammar nazi's are so thoroughly removed from the gene pool that DNA itself starts to contain misspellings.
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I don't know if you were simply using it's to spite the troll or not but I'm fairly sure its is correct. Unlike most words the apostrophe is only added when it's a contraction of "it is", "it has" etc, not to indicate "belonging to it" (possessive). The GP was a troll to be sure, but an accurate troll nonetheless.
Awesome, Google Window View in 5,4,3....... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Awesome, Google Window View in 5,4,3....... (Score:5, Interesting)
I think I'll start a company selling curtains with Goatse on them.
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Yeah, it's just swell. Unmanned aerial surveillance by hackers really makes it thrilling to live here in the future.
Link is to Flash - boooo! (Score:2, Offtopic)
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Another Obvious Application (Score:4, Interesting)
It would have been nice to have a few camera-bearing drones bopping around over the recent G-20 meeting in Toronto, out of the immediate reach of gentlemen with badges, batons and guns. The police seem oddly selective about video evidence they use in court and video evidence that somehow goes missing whenever the defense requests it.
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The visual of one of Toronto's finest, shotgun in hand, trying not to kill pigeons, but getting those damn UAVs is hilarioius
I wish they could also stimulate some of those RFID passport tags, and do some broadband sniffing and characterizations, too. Mmmmm. Data.
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I love the idea of poking the RFID passport tags. That borders on genius!
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There must be a way, using the Hall Effect, to read magstripes, too. Wouldn't it be fun to find out where someone bought that mouthwash, the credit card used, and whether the car being driven needs a tune-up and exceeded the posted speed limit? Perhaps there's a way to even read dental work and hidden tattoos. A UAV with more than just WiFi...
Oh, wait.
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Oh, for moderater points! P
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FTFY.
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No such place.
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Lovely little thing. (Score:2)
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"but how are you supposed to use it as an antenna extender without using another longer-range wireless system to communicate with it?"
I guess each time it finds an open WIFI spot, it sends the collected data (photos, videos) to its owner.
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how are you supposed to use it as an antenna extender without using another longer-range wireless system to communicate with it?
Why "without"? You use a another longer-range wireless system to communicate with it, problem solved.
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I want a hunter-killer drone... (Score:5, Funny)
How about a hunter-killer drone that sniffs out other drones, homes in on their telemetrics and blows them up in a blazing fireball of glory!
That's the kind of shit I want to see.
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It won't be long...the weapon part (or at least fireworks) has already been done [youtube.com]
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And I've seen EDF-powered F35s going for under $300, even with simple fly-by-wire systems! Just add FPV system and let the robot fights begin!
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Here's the kind of shit I want to see:
Drones searching for open wifi points to connect to and run BitTorrent on. Once it's completed (and seeded) the torrents, it can return to it's owner with a full drive/USB. Bonus points if it also cracks WEP and flawed WPA automatically.
Turns out there is one fatal flaw (Score:2, Funny)
!!ALERT!! (Score:1)
Enemy UAV spotted!
lolcatz' caption (Score:4, Funny)
im in ur hotspot
sniffin' ur pornz
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Something to knock out the red -light cameras on Ashland Ave at Madison St please. I'd love to be able to call down an air strike on those bitches.
Something missing... (Score:2)
.
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Ah, cyber-offensive capabilities...
Is that where the drone uses a MITM attack to insert itself into an ICQ conversation as user "bloodninja"?
UAV's that work! (Score:5, Interesting)
As that thing does not even seem to fly and people always like to see movies, check: http://ng.uavp.ch/ [ng.uavp.ch] for a huge amount of information about NG-UAVP's (Next Generation Universal Areal Video Platform) of course all open source hard and software.
Multiple videos of WORKING drones over here: http://ng.uavp.ch/moin/Videos [ng.uavp.ch]
Also, don't forget to check this cool cyber-cute overload: Quadrocopter Drone Has Its Own Little Home [youtube.com] :)
Btw, what is so special about adding a wireless card/stick to a drone and letting it sniff the airwaves? :)
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I still have a libretto, it is only 166mmx and weighs a lot in its steel case. Dont know how the webcam would go on such a slow processor either.
This and Google. (Score:2, Insightful)
What's the difference between this and Google sniffing wi-fi, and getting flack for it? Makes no sense why Google gets whacked for something like this.
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There is no difference and I find it funny how the horde of Google bashers and privacy nuts don't appear until there are certain keywords in a summary.
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"What's the difference between this and Google sniffing wi-fi, and getting flack for it?"
It is probably too small to hit with a full size Flak gun, probably the best thing would be one of those fully auto shotguns with the 29 round magazine
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Ah, but you see: Dutch hackers Do No Evil.
That's the difference.
HAL.
cue the anti-aircraft weapons (Score:3, Insightful)
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Im sure your local dealer will supply you with everything you need to remove any UAVs from your property.
Might i suggest creating a UAV.TXT and having a copy posted on your roof??
Suggest a shotgun instead. (Score:2)
Water pressure isn't quite up to swatting RC planes at my house.
Dutch Rudder (Score:2)
Wi-Fi Sniffing Drone? (Score:1)
scale it down? (Score:1)
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Big disappointment set in when I went to that page and didn't see a "Buy now" link.
Strap on a brick of c4 (Score:3, Interesting)
But strap a modestly sized brick of C-4 and you have yourself a (very slow) smart missile.
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So What? (Score:2)
I could do this much more anonymously and inexpensively with a backpack, a laptop, a GPS, and a pair of walking shoes. UAVs attract attention because, no matter who is launching them, people are generally suspicious that they're up to no good.