Flipper Zero Kickstarter Campaign Exceeds Funding Goal by 7 Times in Just Hours

Today, a crowdfunding campaign for the “hacker Tamagotchi” Flipper Zero launched on Kickstarter. The project needed to raise $60,000 to start production, but those who doubted its success were quickly proven wrong. The required amount was collected within minutes of the campaign’s launch, and the $99 devices sold out almost instantly.

Currently, the project has already attracted around $500,000. According to the campaign’s roadmap, this means the devices will be available in a new color and will come equipped with Bluetooth. The next goal—$700,000—will allow Flipper Zero to be equipped with NFC.

Earlier this year, we already covered this hacker multitool, invented by Pavel Zhovner, in detail. The device, which resembles a Tamagotchi, is designed for pentesters, hackers (in the original sense of the word), and other enthusiasts. The main idea behind this open-source device was to combine various hardware solutions for pentesters into one tool. As a result, Flipper Zero boasts the following features:

• Radio module based on TI CC1101: Supports transmitting and receiving signals in the 300–928 MHz range. This frequency range is used by many devices and access control systems, including garage door remotes, barriers, IoT sensors, and more. Flipper Zero can emulate various remotes and store them in memory.
• Built-in decoder for popular remote control algorithms: Supports protocols like Keeloq and others, allowing users to study unknown radio systems and determine which protocol is being used.
• Infrared transmitter: Can send signals to TVs, air conditioners, stereo systems, and more. Flipper includes a built-in library of common commands such as power on/off, volume control, and temperature adjustment. The IR receiver can also capture and store signals.
• 125 kHz RFID antenna: Can read EM-4100 and HID Prox cards, store them in memory, and emulate them directly from the menu.
• Built-in panel for reading iButton keys (DS1990A): Also known as TouchMemory or Dallas keys, this older technology is still widely used. Based on the 1-Wire protocol and lacking authentication, Flipper can easily read keys, save their IDs, write IDs to blank keys, and emulate the key itself.
• U2F key functionality: Flipper can act as a fully functional U2F key, compatible with any service that supports U2F, including Google, Twitter, Facebook, Dropbox, LastPass, Amazon AWS, and more.
• GPIO pins: Allow Flipper to be used as a USB-to-UART/I2C/SPI converter or to connect peripherals like Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
• USB Type-C port: Used for firmware updates, deploying a virtual serial port, and emulating HID input devices. Essentially, Flipper can function like a Rubber Ducky and be used for BadUSB-type attacks.

At the same time, Flipper does not fall under the definition of a special device or tool for covert information gathering. The device cannot record audio or video and is not disguised as everyday objects. The factory firmware will not include jamming, brute-forcing, or other potentially malicious features.

The Flipper Zero crowdfunding campaign will run for another 29 days, with device shipments expected in February 2021. Recently, Pavel Zhovner stated that the fate of the Flipper One version directly depends on the success of this campaign: he promised that if the necessary amount is raised, work on the One version will continue. Since the goals have already been met (and will likely be exceeded), we can confidently congratulate the creator of the hacker Tamagotchi on his success and start looking forward to Flipper One.