A Python script and lots of disposable email addresses makes him shoot to the top of the waiting list within minutes

Aug 4, 2015 08:07 GMT  ·  By
OnePlus uses a demeaning invitation system to let users buy its OnePlus 2 phone
3 photos
   OnePlus uses a demeaning invitation system to let users buy its OnePlus 2 phone

That annoying OnePlus reservation system that allows users to purchase the latest version of the OnePlus 2 smartphones has been hacked by a user displeased with the queuing mechanism.

OnePlus, the Chinese phone manufacturer that sells high-end smartphones that can easily pass as phablets, has a dubious method of selling their products, which seems stuck in the late '90s.

The company uses a Web-based invitations system that organizes users into a queue, allowing them to invite more people and climb up the ranks.

Jake Cooper, a software engineer who didn't take kindly to this system demoting him from his initial position of ~9,000 to ~70,000, created an automated system that allowed him to climb back to the top of the ranks using disposable email addresses.

Using Python and the Mailinator API, Mr. Cooper created a system that would send out invites to random Mailinator disposable email addresses, extract the verification code he received from OnePlus, verify it, and get a new referral.

Using this simple technique, he managed to climb up the ranks and even reach position 1694 in the queue, while also discovering a method of DOSing the entire OnePlus invitation system.

"Adding a sleep timer of 1 resolves the problem, but I ended up DOSing the OnePlus invite queue (I [expletive] you not) and ramped it down to 1 req/5s."

The OnePlus team was informed of this issue but did not respond, and Mr. Cooper proved his point that OnePlus needs to upgrade to a more standard and "fair" product distribution system.

Nobody likes to wait for their favorite toys, especially Jake Cooper
Nobody likes to wait for their favorite toys, especially Jake Cooper

Hacking the OnePlus invitation system (3 Images)

OnePlus uses a demeaning invitation system to let users buy its OnePlus 2 phone
Jake Cooper has created a system to hack his way to the top of the queueNobody likes to wait for their favorite toys, especially Jake Cooper
Open gallery