The Canadian government has banned Flipper Zero, a compact and customizable hacking tool, citing concerns over its potential use in automotive theft.
At a recent summit, François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced a ban on criminals using sophisticated tools to steal cars.
The decision was taken in response to rising concerns among Canadians about such criminal activities.
The move aims to curb criminals’ use of advanced technologies in car thefts, a growing problem recently.
The device called “Flipper” has gained significant popularity. Still, it has also caught the attention of the Canadian government and has been labeled as a target in the upcoming National Summit on Combating Auto Theft.
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Despite a lack of evidence, the government claims that the device is being used for car theft.
The statement says that all possible measures are being taken to prohibit devices that gain access to vehicles by replicating the wireless signals used for remote keyless entry. An example of such a device is the Flipper Zero.
“Pursuing all avenues to ban devices used to steal vehicles by copying the wireless signals for remote keyless entry, such as the Flipper Zero, would allow for removing those devices from the Canadian marketplace through collaboration with law enforcement agencies.”
Hobbyists and security professionals have vehemently opposed the attempt to prohibit the use of these tools.
The Flipper Zero device costs $169 and is primarily used for penetration testing. However, it has faced criticism as it is capable of hacking the drives of smart devices.
Flipper Zero is a cost-effective and user-friendly tool that caters to the technical requirements of beginners and hobbyists. It provides an in-depth understanding of the functioning of the latest communication protocols like NFC and Wi-Fi.
Today’s cars are more complex to steal due to the widespread use of rolling codes for keyless entry, considered more secure than fixed codes.
However, according to many experts, the Flipper Zero device can still steal cars using this technology.
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