Like a cat and a mouse, advances in mobile security and attacks on this security evolve hand in hand. When a hacker discovers a new breach or a new attack on the protection systems of our mobile phones, development teams try to deal with these new attacks. Well this is happening right now with Hackers' new favorite tool, Flipper Zero. I tell you how to prevent hacks with Flipper Zero.
A very dangerous new form of hacking
Every day more is known about Flipper Zero, a tool that was born on Kickstarter to, a priori, understand and study the security of networks on mobile phones and other devices. The problem with this tool is that makes it easier to discover security gaps in the mobile phones around you.
This is because this device is capable of connecting to infrared connections, replicates RFID and NFC cards or even connects with other devices via Bluetooth. This makes it a powerful tool for ethical hacking and discovering vulnerabilities to, as I said at the beginning, improve the security of our devices.
The problem is that, once the law is made, the trap is made. And it is that Flipper Zero can also be used for malicious purposes. If this tool is in the wrong hands, it could be used to access private information without authorization, allowing data theft.
In addition to this, it must be taken into account that this device is really economical and within reach of almost any pocket since it has a price of about 70 dollars. And the worst of all is that this device is extremely easy to use Since its interface and functionalities are very intuitive and with a little knowledge, you can do a lot of damage to the privacy of others.
Now, despite the ease of hacking that this tool allows, there are ways to prevent your phone from being hacked with the Flipper Zero. I'll tell you how.
How to protect yourself from Flipper Zero
Although it is not possible to be completely safe, there are ways to prevent malware attacks. the new "master key" of hackers. Of course, we will have to add new security measures to those that we already use today to protect ourselves on the internet. Let's see what to do to prevent hacks with the Flipper Zero.
Deactivate Bluetooth on your mobile
Having Bluetooth activated is a problem for the security of our mobile phone. Although it is necessary if we wear a wearable such as a smartwatch, it is It is advisable to deactivate this connection if we are in places with many people around. And it is not the same to be at home quietly as if we were at a festival or waiting at the cinema box office (although I don't know if it is the best example of crowding due to the drop in attendance at cinemas).
In crowded situations it is wise to remove Bluetooth (even on the laptop) and thus be sure that our privacy is not attacked with a Flipper Zero. Also, keep in mind that the radius of action of this device is about 100 meters, so It will not be safe to activate Bluetooth again unless we move more than 100 meters away of the area that we believe may be compromised.
Use protective sleeves for your NFC and RFID cards
Don't be fooled by the "toy" appearance of the Flipper Zero, is capable of attacking your NFC and RFID cards. These are the cards that allow us to pay contactless since they use a nearby field to exchange information with other devices. And of course, the Flipper Zero also acts against these fields by replicating the signal of the cards.
So to protect yourself against these attacks, It is essential to use protective covers for our NFC and RFID cards. These covers act as a protective film using magnetic fields that prevent this type of attack. But in addition to this also You should deactivate the NFC on your mobile when it is not in use. It's the only thing you can do to reduce the risk of your cards being compromised by Flipper Zero attacks.
Update your operating system
Last but not least, try to keep your operating system up to date whenever you can. Following the principle that I told you at the beginning with the cat and dog game that occurs in cybersecurity issues, New security measures may be added to prevent Flipper Zero attacks in future updates of the operating system of our terminal.
This is all we have to do to stay safe before the arrival of a tool that is about to define the future of mobile security. It will be interesting to see the next steps the sector takes to fight these types of attacks and hacker devices, which are increasingly common.
As always, it is important to be aware of these security issues that we can all be compromised to, so Share this article with your friends and family to prevent these types of attacks on their phones. They will surely thank you.