Hacker Creates A Wi-Fi Hacking Device Called Pwnagotchi Out Of Boredom

Most Wi-Fi networks use the WPA2-PSK protocol for security. Having a better encryption level doesn’t mean hackers can’t break through it. The weakness of this protocol lies in the 4-way handshake process which hackers exploit to bypass this security layer.

Hackers can kick people out of the Wi-Fi access point in a few seconds, and when the connection is reestablished, they can collect the leaked information from the handshake process. And from all the data that they gather, hackers can get access to the Wi-Fi password.

For security researcher Simone Margaritelli and his companion, a hacker with the nickname hexwaxwing, the complex process mentioned above is still not challenging enough and they want to make the process of hacking a Wi-Fi process more badass.

That’s probably why they have used a toy of the ’90s: Tamagotchi, a handheld digital pet that used to take the world by storm. The device, when being equipped with Wifi hacking components, turned into a Pwnagotchi.

Software for Pwnagotchi was publicly uploaded on September 19. And the reactions of the hackers were really positive. Just about one month after its release and barely without a promotion on Twitter, a community of hundreds of security researchers and hackers who are a fan of this software, was created. From here, they can use the Pwnagotchi, modify, add to it plugins and communicate with each other through Slack.

Pwnagotchi has been used to detect surrounding Wi-Fi networks and optimize the time it takes to collect leaked information from the handshake process. To do this, they use a machine learning known as “deep reinforcement learning” which is the same tech powering Super Mario and AlphaGo-playing AIs.

The deep learning algorithm will optimize the needed parameters to collect as much information as possible during the handshake process. Each network will have slightly different parameters. And how Pwnagotchi collects the data depends on whether a hacker is on a crowded street or inside an office.

To run this program, you need a Raspberry Pi Zero W, an external battery, and a MicroSD card with 8GB of storage at least. And if you want your Pwnagotchi to have a cute face with different expressions, you will need an extra e-paper 2-inch screen. All of this will cost you around $60.

Don’t think that this screen in not important, for hexwaxwing, this full of expression screen is the most notable highlight of the project since it is named Pwanagotchi after all.

Indeed, the device offers hackers excitement which goes beyond its true feature. Darry Marty, a security researcher living in Berlin, who owns three Pwnagotchi devices said that the device makes him walking more, instead of taking the subway.

Margaritelli said that he didn’t have the intention of turning Pwanagotchi into a tool for professional hackers. Instead, it will be for educational purposes only. This technology is neither new nor illegal. In fact, this tool is restricted from causing a denial of service to devices that it gathers the data.

He said: