Category: hardware

hardware, retro, Security, technology, Wi-Fi

Going with the retro look with my new Hak5 Pineapple Pager!

| be3n

hak5 pager LogoLaunched at Defcon 33 and eagerly awaited by wifi tinkerers and technologists.  i finally received mine. i’m still figuring out the functionality from potential.  As a handheld device, unlike the rest of the pineapple line, it is designed to be used from the device.  i was looking for an always monitoring device with audio and haptic alerts.  it’s handheld nature makes extracting logs a novel concept, but it is already providing insight into my wireless space.  hak5 Pager - Initializing War Games Screenhak5 pager Setup ReadyI love the default look with all it’s retro elements.  From war games to classic MacOS, out of the box it has more retro style than it’s 90s pager reveals.  it operates on 3 wifi bands! (2,5,6) and maybe bluetooth as well eventually.  This is just the beginning as the firmware gets more mature and additional content is added by the users.  this is with the stock hardware.  Hak5 is already selling USB modules for ethernet, GPS, and LoRa for even more functionality. i’ll update as i get more capable with the gadget.  currently it does eat it’s battery very enthusiastically. i don’t think i’ve gotten more than 2-3 hours of use on a charge. (but i don’t yet know what i am doing)

Hak5 Wifi Pineapple Pager Recon

art, Culture, games, hardware, Photography, Recreation, revolution, Security, Soapbox, Software, technology, Travel

Back from Defcon 32 with knowledge swag but no voice

| be3n

Defcon32 - Big Sign

I had a great time this year.  i went deep into the sticker game and spent WAY too much time playing with the badge.  Playing with the badge allowed me to meet and work with some incredible people with whom we learned, laughed, and lamented the badge’s terrible supplied SD cards. This year i brought flyers to promote my phone adventure game and joined in with a supply of stickers of my own.  unfortunately the printers gave me too many flyers, but not enough stickers.

Defcon32 - be3n stickers and flyers

My game did get some traction this year for the first time.  Still no winners, but i did get this incredible voicemail from one of the players.  I appreciated more ridiculous phone stuff.  great job whoever you are! EDIT: i think i found you Foxbox!

Defcon32 - badges

Defcon32 - be3n badge zelda

The Badge had a lot of problems.  only some of which were patched with updates.  I excitedly made changes, but then the SD card would fail and be unable change back.  currently mine is stuck as a Mario Game, which is not so terrible.   i can finish the Defcon GameBoy game on an emulator.

Defcon32 - Badge Dev Mode Defcon32 - Badge Game 1 Defcon32 - Badge Game 2 Defcon32 - Badge Game 3Defcon32 - Sticker Haul

art, Culture, hardware, retro, technology

My visit to the Vintage Computer Festival SoCal

| be3n

Vintage Computer Festival SoCal Logo

There were so many incredible computers from the 70s, 80s, and 90s!  Beautiful computers that might have just been taken out of the box.  I got to play with an Amiga 4000 with a Video Toaster! (My dream box from the 90s)  I used a Commodore Pet that is older than i am. Some of my favorite stuff is modern boards that work with the vintage computers like micro SD floppy drives and Wi-Fi modems.

Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - Amiga 4000 ToasterVintage Computer Festival SoCal - Amiga 500 DemoVintage Computer Festival SoCal - Commodore PetVintage Computer Festival SoCal - iBook Rainbow
Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - Analog TV Demo

hardware, Raspberry Pi, Science, Security, Software, technology, Travel, Wi-Fi

The antennas are back! Wardriving in a Tesla.

| be3n

antennas on tesla
This project was cannibalized over a year ago.  With Raspberry Pi as difficult to get ahold of as they’ve been, i thought this project might never come back to life.  I launched a number of pi liberating ideas with some success.  I now have enough for both fun personal projects and to get my work done.  I felt i should explain the name wardriving.  It is a variation on wardialing.   Wardialing was trying phone numbers, looking for interesting things on the phone.  Wardriving is similarly driving around looking for interesting things in the air.

pi family

My wardriver is not pictured above, but these Pi are ready for whatever comes next.  I’ve recovered an assortment of different Pi from original B+ (pi-hole) to a 2GB Pi 4 (broken helium miner).  One of the best parts of this setup is the early Pi 3 (not B+).  This was a lucky find as it consumes less energy and produces much less heat.  With only 6 radios running (including GPS) the lower performance hasn’t been an issue, but the reduced power has been incredible.  Early testing has me getting an additional 20-40% battery life vs the original pi 4 configuration.  my cable management has also improved with this iteration.  The setup fits in a small box in my trunk instead of a tangled mass of wires in a large bin (prototyping is fun).  The reason power is so important because, believe it or not, the amperage you can pull out of a Tesla for accessories is limited.  Without an alternator dumping piles of unclean energy i am forced to resort to BYOB (bring your own battery).  I got a monster battery to power the Pi 4 and even more radios and accessories of the original prototype.

war driver pi in a box

It is fun using the ADSB live tracker in Los Angeles as there are always planes above.  Next step will be DJI drone tracking and some sort of dashboard indicator/control.  I started a WiGLE account, it’s off to a pretty good start.  i found a few APs, but i’m still figuring out how to share BT.  maybe i’ll join the #HardHatBrigade group.

war driver kismet data sourceswar driver kismet screen
be3n wigle stats
Kismet Live ADSB tracking in Malibu

Upgrading to Unifi Dream Machine Pro.

Unifi Dream Machine Pro

I’ve been using Ubiquiti equipment since the original PowerStation.  I took it to the next level with Unifi.  I slowly acquired more and more equipment until their controller software had such an incredible sight into my network and it’s workings.  An insight that makes maintenance and  troubleshooting effortless.  Moving from the USG Pro to UDM Pro i immediately enjoy the faster speeds and the fancy touch screen panel.  What i don’t like is it’s complete lack of integration with non-local controllers and the missing features in its switch component.

Unifi panel showing link aggregation

As you can see from this image, i am a fan of link aggregation.  It is an inexpensive way to maximize existing  infrastructure and improve network performance.  Unfortunately, the 8 ports on the UDM are currently incapable of this feature.  I was hoping to remove one of the switches from my closet as i move links to the UDM, but it was not to be.  This seems like a serious oversight for a Pro branded unit.  I am hoping they fix this with a future update, but will not be holding my breath.

hardware, pointless, Travel

My final visit to the Encino Avenue bridge.

| be3n

Encino Avenue bridge demolition

After reading of its impending destruction, i was hoping to pay the Encino Avenue pedestrian overpass a final visit.  Unfortunately visits were discouraged. The messaging was a bit mixed, as the fence was literally tied up with string.  i took pictures without trespassing.  The 101 will shutdown between White Oak and Burbank over the weekend for the bridge’s demolition.

Encino Avenue bridge demolition - Do Not EnterEncino Avenue bridge demolition - Tied up with string

hardware, Software, technology

Flipper software is coming along nicely!

| be3n

Flipper with wifi-dev board scanning APs

Thanks to the exceptional work by justcallmekoko, RogueMaster, and many others there is now native flipper support for the unofficial Marauder firmware for the Flipper dev-board.  Marauder is firmware for the ESP-32 chipset full of security tools for bluetooth and wifi. The Flipper dev board doesn’t support bluetooth, but the wifi tools work and are usable from the flipper itself.  I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Flipper Marauder Demo