[HN Gopher] UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero
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UK airport confiscates passenger's Flipper Zero
Author : anigbrowl
Score : 40 points
Date : 2023-09-29 17:28 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.dailydot.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.dailydot.com)
| LASR wrote:
| It almost sounds like he was bragging about the capabilities of
| the device. That'll do it for sure.
|
| But serious question: does it actually allow someone to copy
| airport security badges?
| dghlsakjg wrote:
| As always, it depends.
|
| Some badge technology is more prone to cloning than others. It
| wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that airports aren't using
| the most up to date access control.
| MichaelMug wrote:
| Assuming the badge using a frequency the Flipper supports. This
| is why badge + PIN is important.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| > "[...]done at the discretion of airport security personnel and
| not part of an aiport-wide mandate."
|
| Turbo get fucked. Yeah, I'll even take the downvotes for
| vulgarity on this one. This is a bald-faced statement: "We
| encourage selective enforcement by individuals instead of
| sticking to a defined policy."
|
| Sure, if he hadn't mouthed off, this probably wouldn't have
| happened; play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Whatever.
|
| The fact that the law is designed in such a way to allow
| someone's emotional state (Waaahh, he smart assed me about this
| thing!) to determine if they enforce it is unacceptable. The fact
| that they're confident enough to state that in public is
| abhorrent.
| dghlsakjg wrote:
| He didn't just mouth off, he claimed that he could use the
| device to circumvent their access badge control system through
| cloning.
|
| It seems like there is a pretty legitimate case to confiscating
| a device from a person who says he could use said device to
| compromise security. Even in the case that there isn't an
| explicit policy against that specific device.
|
| I sometimes travel with VHF/UHF ham radios. These, if used
| improperly, could interfere with airport and operations, as
| well as aircraft band radios. I occasionally get asked what the
| radio is for, and I explain what it is. If I mouthed off and
| said I can use it for all sorts of stuff, like jamming security
| frequencies, I would expect to lose cus
|
| If I casually mention to the cabin crew that my mealtime knife
| could, technically, be used to stab them, should they also let
| that slide since I'm just stating the capabilities of the
| knife?
| moralestapia wrote:
| >he claimed that he could use the device to circumvent their
| access badge control system through cloning
|
| He probably couldn't have done that. Lost a Flipper (and some
| time) on a nerd flex. I would've done the same, tho :D.
| dizhn wrote:
| It must be nice to live in a functioning Western democracy.
| :)
| thefurdrake wrote:
| > He didn't just mouth off, he claimed that he could use the
| device to circumvent their access badge control system
| through cloning.
|
| It doesn't matter.
|
| What is allowed inside and what is not allowed inside of an
| airport should not be a matter of personal discretion.
|
| Either a thing is permitted or it is not permitted. There
| should be no room for interpretation. If the airport has a
| problem with these devices, they can damn well write a policy
| that is observable for anyone prior to visiting the airport.
|
| You can try mental gymnastics to justify this all you want,
| but the fact remains the device not being permitted is not
| policy, and the decision to confiscate it was made at a
| personal level.
|
| > If I casually mention to the cabin crew that my mealtime
| knife could, technically, be used to stab them, should they
| also let that slide since I'm just stating the capabilities
| of the knife?
|
| See, like this sort of mental gymnastics. You wouldn't have
| the knife confiscated, you would have yourself detained and
| possibly arrested for demonstrating signs of mental
| instability. The knife would remain on the aircraft and
| undergo its normal lifecycle. This really wasn't a difficult
| situation to theorycraft out, so I'm not sure why you thought
| it'd support your position.
|
| > If I mouthed off and said I can use it for all sorts of
| stuff, like jamming security frequencies, I would expect to
| lose cus
|
| See, that's what's so dim about this logic; you've been so
| programmed to accept the dick that you think it's totally
| normal that discussing the capabilities of legal objects is
| valid grounds for intervention that you honestly think this
| shouldn't be allowed.
|
| You are part of the problem.
| dghlsakjg wrote:
| Please refrain from insults and crude sexist personal
| attacks. It violates the site rules, and weakens the
| effectiveness of your argument.
|
| I didn't defend the airport security rules, I simply
| pointed out that this is a pretty rational reaction to the
| existing rules, and not at all an unpredictable outcome of
| that persons actions.
|
| I would love to see airport security reformed. I would love
| to live in a world where we can acknowledge that
| traditional hijacking is not really a risk anymore.
|
| However, I don't see a possible and likely reform where you
| can go to a secure area and talk about your ability to
| bypass security with a device, and expect to keep that
| device.
|
| If you want a list of things that are and aren't allowed,
| you end up with a list that defaults to anything not
| explicitly allowed is banned.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| > Please refrain from insults and crude sexist personal
| attacks. It violates the site rules, and weakens the
| effectiveness of your argument.
|
| Fair enough. (Edit: What I said isn't sexist and it won't
| ever be, but this guy seems intent on driving that
| narrative)
|
| > I simply pointed out that this is a pretty rational
| reaction to the existing rules
|
| It's not, though. Not even remotely. I know how to commit
| a crime with every object on my body, including the
| actual parts of my body. I know that, you know that, the
| airport security staff knows that, a child knows that. He
| didn't say, "I'm going to punch people at this airport,"
| he said, "I know kung fu," and this scared the
| individual, so he was detained and the scary object
| confiscated.
|
| Further: I can use the wifi radio in my laptop to commit
| a crime in the UK, according to an adjacent comment. Is
| it sane that possessing that knowledge should mean I have
| my laptop taken away? Is my laptop, which was just fine
| moments prior to me saying, "I can listen to wifi with a
| laptop", suddenly no longer alright? That's any wireless
| NIC with promisc mode...
|
| > If you want a list of things that are and aren't
| allowed, you end up with a list that defaults to anything
| not explicitly allowed is banned.
|
| No. You end up with a set of predictable restrictions
| that people can rely upon to know what they are and are
| not permitted to bring into a facility-- this shouldn't
| be /guesswork/. There are some /serious ramifications/ to
| your entire life if someone decides something you have is
| dangerous at an airport, so there should be some pretty
| serious requirements for making clear what is and is not
| permitted.
| tanseydavid wrote:
| Uh, sexist?!?!?! Where?
| dghlsakjg wrote:
| I was referring to "taking the dick"
|
| The implication is that the person "dispensing dick" is
| superior to the person receiving.
|
| In the context of male-female sexual relations it implies
| that women are somehow lesser in the relationship.
|
| It also has overtones of homophobia in the context of
| male-male relationships.
|
| I suppose I should have said sexist and/or homophobic to
| be strictly accurate.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| I'm bisexual and like dick, so spare me.
|
| :)
|
| Edit:
|
| Actually, this is making me angrier than it really should
| have.
|
| Quite frankly, go jump into a river with your faux
| allyship -- what I said isn't sexist. The parts of the
| queer community I hang out in, dick's used just as much
| by women as men to assert dominance. If anything, I was
| disparaging the D/s relationship, because assertion of
| dominance and acceptance of it was exactly what I was
| talking about.
|
| You know exactly why you chose to lead your response with
| the implication that I'm a sexist/homophobic, and it
| wasn't because you're interested in promoting happy,
| good-faith discourse on this website.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| "Taking the dick" is arguably a sexist position.
|
| I disagree, but it's a tiresome argument that isn't worth
| having. Going on about it would distract, which is what
| the point of the objection was; that's why he led with
| it.
| pfannkuchen wrote:
| More like homophobic, no? I don't think he is implying
| the other poster is a woman.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| Homophobic would be appropriate, yes, but that's not what
| the was claimed, and there's nothing else related to
| sex/gender in my response to him, so I guess that's the
| angle he's going for.
| nerpderp82 wrote:
| The man was fool. Flipper Zero is most likely illegal in
| the UK.
|
| https://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtlaws_may04.html
|
| He can pen test a wireless system, but he can't get his
| tools through airport security. Maybe he should become a
| little bit more well rounded.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| If the device is illegal in the UK, that definitely
| changes things.
| petre wrote:
| He could just shut up about it, instead of acting _smart_ ,
| because the device looks like a retro game. If he did that in
| a Russian airport ten years ago he'd probably be thrown in
| prison for at least six months.
| thefurdrake wrote:
| Shutting up is always the optimal path.
|
| Edit: Not that Russia 10 years ago was a country known for
| its respect for rule of law...
| NullPrefix wrote:
| Does UK have the right to remain silent?
| ls612 wrote:
| And people wonder why many westerners don't value the rule of
| law as a concept anymore. It's almost like they're figuring out
| it was a sham all along.
| menthe wrote:
| If the dude had a couple more brain cells, he'd still have it.
|
| > Domingos said that he was initially asked by security if he
| knew what the device did. The technologist replied by stating
| that the Flipper Zero is capable of, among other things, scanning
| and copying badge cards such as those used by the airport's
| security personnel.
| Kiuhrly1 wrote:
| a more mature response might be something along the lines of
| "I'm a cybersecurity researcher/hobbyist and the device is used
| to communicate with other electronics for the purposes of
| security research", although that argument doesn't exactly have
| a good track record with law enforcement in many countries...
| csteubs wrote:
| This guy was undoubtedly the kid who reminded the teacher to
| assign homework.
| notnmeyer wrote:
| this makes me want a flipper zero
| notdang wrote:
| Apparently the owner decided to make jokes in an airport:
|
| > Domingos said that he was initially asked by security if he
| knew what the device did. The technologist replied by stating
| that the Flipper Zero is capable of, among other things, scanning
| and copying badge cards such as those used by the airport's
| security personnel.
|
| > "If I can copy your badges, then you might want to fix that
| before banning a legal device," Domingo reportedly said.
| effnorwood wrote:
| [dead]
| local_crmdgeon wrote:
| [flagged]
| rlpb wrote:
| Security: what's this?
|
| Person subject to security: it's a device I can use to compromise
| your security
|
| Of course they'll confiscate it then. This would probably apply
| to any device they choose to describe to security this way.
|
| Security: <pointing to pen> What's this?
|
| Person subject to security: I can stab you with it. You really
| should all wear bulletproof vests to stop that happening!
|
| What do you think will happen? It seems reasonable under these
| circumstances to take your pen if they're going to allow you on
| board at all.
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(page generated 2023-09-29 23:02 UTC)