Hacking gadget: Firmware 1.0 for Flipper Zero is here and comes with Appstore
Under the hood, there are numerous improvements for the compact Flipper Zero hacking tool. The battery life has also been significantly increased.
Stable: The Flipper Zero with firmware 1.0.1
(Image: heise online / cku)
The Flipper Zero is growing up: Firmware 1.0 for the popular digital gadget has been released and brings many new functions as well as a significantly longer battery life. In particular, the new built-in app store makes working and entertaining with the pinball machine much easier.
App store makes things easier
The developers of the pocket-sized hacker tool have integrated long-awaited features into the recently released firmware, some of which have been three years in the making. First and foremost is the support for apps via a built-in app store. Although the "Flipper Application Package" with the slightly ambiguous acronym "FAP" has been the tool of choice for installing additional program packages for years, the integration into the app store saves users the sometimes time-consuming search or even compilation of current program versions.
The app store is available as a function for the Flipper Zero's smartphone companion app or in the web-based "Flipper Lab" – If the gadget is connected via USB or Bluetooth, apps land on the device at the tap of a finger. Of course, there is also a rudimentary Doom clone that squawks the iconic theme tune from id Software's 1993 cult game out of the pinball machine in the best PC speaker acoustics.
(Image:Â Screenshot / heise security)
Something has also changed for developers: they can now write programs for the Flipper Zero in JavaScript and copy them to the SD card. Hardware-related functions such as USB and outputs via the device's GPIO pins are also available via JavaScript – some demo scripts show interested parties the basic features of the libraries supplied.
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New and faster: NFC, sub-gigahertz, eavesdropping functions
The NFC subsystem (Near-Field Communication) is entirely new in firmware 1.0 and is now better adapted to the conditions on the pinball machine. It reads cards faster, which helps with inconspicuous copying. In addition, the pinball machine now also supports SLIX and FeliCA Lite NFC cards. The former are known in particular from the successful Tonieboxes – Each plastic audio game figure contains a SLIX chip, which parents can now emulate using the Flipper Zero's on-board tools.
In the radio range below 1 GHz, Flipper Zero now supports almost 90 protocols, such as those used in garage doors and home automation. Analog walkie-talkies can also be listened to, as long as the listeners speak loudly enough into the devices. However, the frequency band of 446.000–446.200 MHz used in this country is not enabled in the German Flipper firmware. So if you want to eavesdrop on your children while playing detective, you have to use a VPN to trick the pinball machine into thinking it is in a different location when updating the firmware.
Apps need updates
Apps already installed in FAP format require updates, and apps from alternative firmware teams are not always compatible with Flipper firmware 1.0. For official applications, a click on the corresponding header in the Flipper Labs is sufficient; otherwise gadget owners can continue to copy the files to the device as usual.
(Image:Â Screenshot / heise security)
To update the Flipper to the latest firmware version, a Bluetooth connection to the "Flipper Mobile App" or to qFlipper on a PC or Mac is required. The update takes a few minutes and does not delete any data such as saved map copies on the device.
The Flipper Zero has been on the market since 2020 and is very popular as a hacking gadget for various wireless protocols and USB. Its versatility has also led to legal difficulties, with various governments considering banning the device and hotel staff at the Las Vegas security conferences Black Hat and Defcon being instructed to look out for the small tool during room searches.
(cku)
