14 DAY TRIAL // An apparently harmless toy helicopter is capable of wiping out entire wireless networks just by flying in their vicinity.
The Terminator-related name is well deserved by this do-it-yourself toy which uses the weak security measures protecting home and mobile wireless networks.
The creators of this malicious flying device claim that it represents “an enhancement to botnet C&C using a technique to separate botmaster from a botnet. This technique uses a flying drone to relay information.
"The drone assembles potential bot controllers by using vulnerabilities in wireless networks, wired hosts,and mobile devices,” they state.
According to CNET, the drone can be used for hacking, denial-of-service attacks, and spamming, being controlled manually or automatically, depending on the choice of its “master.”
So how can this sci-fi movie looking toy cause such immense damage just by flying around?
Well, it seems that the drone is actually a Parrot AR.Drone quadrocopter upgraded to incase a small Linux computer, 3G broadband connection, GPS receiver, and a couple of Wi-Fi cards.
Two wireless cards are needed because one is used for controlling the drone and one for attacking wireless networks.
The same piece informs us the whole thing costs about $600, of which $300 is the price of the helicopter.
Now comes the shocker! This gadget wasn't built by menacing hackers who want to take over the world. Instead, it was created by a group of researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology with the purpose of testing theories and technologies.
In the end, to show us they're not the bad guys, they give a few pointers on how to prevent such attacks.
“Detection of new hosts on home networks can prevent the SkyNET enhancement,” states one of the researchers.
Be advised that if you are thinking of building such a device, if you try to use it in the vicinity of public institutions, in most states you will be charged and even imprisoned, as any form of communications interference is considered a serious offense.