'Anti-router' stops drones, cameras, and Google Glass from connecting to Wi-Fi networks

Adding to my "to get/do list" for when I get a new computer and move to a new place.

'Anti-router' stops drones, cameras, and Google Glass from connecting to Wi-Fi networks

Are you paranoid that strangers are using drones, security cameras, hidden microphones, or even Google Glass to spy on you? If so, you might be interested in a little device called Cyborg Unplug. Just stick it into a power outlet and watch as it sounds an alarm whenever such a surveillance device enters the vicinity of your home. Even better, you can lock those devices from connecting to your Wi-Fi network. If you're really looking to make a statement, you can even show those "Glassholes" who's boss by preventing all surveillance devices near your Cyborg Unplug from connecting to any Wi-Fi network.

The device is really just a tiny router the size of an old Apple Airport Express that's had its firmware customized to sniff out and block devices based on their MAC addresses. It's created by Julian Oliver, an artist living in Berlin who originally came up with a bit of code called Glasshole.sh that was designed to kick Google Glass devices from your Wi-Fi network. Apparently the idea was such a hit that Olvier decided to make a complete consumer product based on the same premise.

Oliver notes on the product's website that its so-called "All Out Mode" — which prevents surveillance devices from connecting to any Wi-Fi network in the area — is likely illegal, and he advises against its use. Nevertheless, we can imagine activists slipping these litte devices into public areas and wreaking a bit of havoc. Of course, even if the Cyborg Unplug does shut down a stranger's device from connecting to Wi-Fi, it doesn't do anything to stop it from saving video or audio data locally. The Cyborg Unplug will be available soon for $50 to $100.

Cyborg Unplug Website

Here is my "to get/do list"
Novena open-hardware computer.

new open-hardware computing platform, flexible and powerful, designed for use as a desktop, laptop, or standalone board. Novena is a 1.2GHz, Freescale quad-core ARM architecture computer closely coupled with a Xilinx FPGA. It's designed for users who care about Free Software and open source, and/or want to modify and extend their hardware: all the documentation for the PCBs is open and free to download, the entire OS is buildable from source, and it comes with a variety of features that facilitate rapid prototyping.

All configurations will come with Debian (GNU/Linux) pre-installed, but of course you can build and install whatever distro you prefer!

This is not a machine for the faint of heart. It's an open source project, which means part of the joy – and frustration – of the device is that it is continuously improving. This will be perhaps the only laptop that ships with a screwdriver; you'll be required to install the battery yourself, screw on the LCD bezel of your choice, and you'll get the speakers as a kit, so you don't have to use our speaker box design – if you have access to a 3D printer, you can make and fine tune your own speaker box.

Calyx Institute encrypted internet (though I haven't seen updates in last couple months).

The underlying functionality of the Internet at a network engineering level is an esoteric field of study. However, as the Internet becomes more and more central to civic life and international politics it becomes more evident that the structure of the Internet is crucial to cyber-security and privacy. The Internet has roughly 300 "Internet Exchanges" (IX's) distributed around the world. Internet Exhanges are physical infrastructures through which Internet service providers (ISPs) exchange Internet traffic between their networks. For historical reasons, Internet Exchanges run "in the clear" without encryption of the data that passes across them. The fact that such volumes of traffic pass without cryptographic assurance of and protection of their contents is a huge security problem, not to mention a privacy implications. This is why The Calyx Institute is developing a test-bed for an encrypted Internet Exchange, called CRYPTO-IX which will attempt to define a new set of best practices for IX's, by standardizing on security and integrity controls for all data passing from provider to provider. ** UPDATE ** - February, 2014 - We have now secured the commitment of a donation of a number of enterprise-grade ethernet switches to use in our Encrypted Internet Exchange project. Now we simply have to raise enough money to house them in a data center.

And of course Tor and a highly tweaked browser.

Why just not have an open network? Password protect your wifi with WAP2. I dont know anyone who doesn't use passworded wap2 anyway.

I know given enough time wap2 can be broken but it takes a long time. Using WAP2 would at least stop all the things that this device is supposed to stop.

Stopping everything from accessing any wifi at all is downright dangerous. its not going to be able to distinguish what is or is not a surveillance device so it would just mess with anything that has a wifi. security cameras , baby monitors lots of hospital equipment..the list is almost endless.

a reply to: AllSourceIntel

Why not just use your router to block the same MAC address range? Why the hardware?

wonder if it will block smart meters.
if so a lot of pissed off electric compines.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
wonder if it will block smart meters.
if so a lot of pissed off electric compines.

Not really; just a lot of power companies that are going to do an estimate on your power bill, based on the highest daily rate for that property.

Before you go purchasing this device, you may want to check into the legality of it in your area. This could very well run into FCC regulations or other laws.

waste of $ lol just learn how to use a router ...

this device dont block anything beside in your local network... it wont block any signal from any device it just a mac adresse filter already in all router...

originally posted by: PhoenixOD
Why just not have an open network? Password protect your wifi with WAP2. I dont know anyone who doesn't use passworded wap2 anyway.

I know given enough time wap2 can be broken but it takes a long time. Using WAP2 would at least stop all the things that this device is supposed to stop.

Stopping everything from accessing any wifi at all is downright dangerous. its not going to be able to distinguish what is or is not a surveillance device so it would just mess with anything that has a wifi. security cameras , baby monitors lots of hospital equipment..the list is almost endless.

Someone can get your password by just setting up a wifi with the same router as yours and wait for you to connect to your router, and get your password that way.

You really need a connection that only connects to known MAC addresses, but even those can be spoofed.

I ran a wifi scanner on my laptop (iwconfig) - that would dump every single name and address of every device that came into range and broadcast a connect request. I was getting GoPro cameras all the time as well as some very weirdly named devices (and I'm sure they weren't plumbers).

a reply to: stormcell

Someone can get your password by just setting up a wifi with the same router as yours and wait for you to connect to your router, and get your password that way.

its not that simple with WAP2 because the password is encrypted not sent as plain text. I use a pineapple honeypot hotspot for messing around

But like i said cracking passwords isnt an issue here, the device is just supposed to stop goole glass and other devices from hooking up to an open network.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Yes, on your router you should have it set to only allow connections via MAC address that you manually have to enter.

a reply to: stormcell
Someone can get your password by just setting up a wifi with the same router as yours and wait for you to connect to your router, and get your password that way.

You also change the default name/password for your router and choose not to broadcast the name, that is in addition to changing the default login/password for your settings - which you should always tweak.

I wouldn't be worried about other devices in my home because none are used. The only thing wifi is used for is my wife’s laptop, here and sons phone's...I"m wired in. Personally, I don't a wifi router period. The device does allow for more security for blocking anything else.