Does Mr. Robot’s use real Hacking Tools? Which are?

Pierluigi Paganini September 30, 2015

Check out the hacking tools used by Mr. Robot and see why the display of these tools is as realistic as possible.

Mr. Robot has been the breakthrough of summer for series lovers, especially for those who are fans of technology and computing. One of the major advantages of Mr. Robot over other series has been the realistic tone that has been given, as far as the hacking tools are concerned.

Even the figure of Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, the vigilante – security analyst who stars the show, has been depicted realistically with the hoodie and with the mentality of a person who seeks to balance between technology and real life. Now that the show has been renewed for a second season, it is high time we had a look at the hacking tools used by Mr. Robot!

mr. robot 2

Of course, the society where Mr. Robot is represented communicates via IRC and social media, while there are many tricks and details that reveal a realistic pattern. Let’s pay attention to the hacking tools, shall we?

  • Kali Linux: Unlike the vast majority of people around him, Elliot and his lot make use of Kali Linux. “Old habits die hard”, quoting the show! This is an entire Operating System that is open source and free to use, alongside its integrated testing (hacking) tool.
  • Wget: Wget is a computer program that has been used to compromise web servers and intercept sensitive data. Based on the shellshock vulnerability, the compromise takes place.
  • Canbus Hacking: It is true that car hacking has increased rapidly over the past few years and this is highlighted most eloquently through the use of Candump, for viewing the respective messages.
  • USB for Device Compromise: USB flash drives are thrown at a car parking place, in order for the ignorant passer-by to pick them up and initiate the compromise. Upon being inserted into the computer, the hack begins!
  • Bluetooth Scanner: The Bluetooth Scanner (or btscanner) is used to extract the information from a phone via its Bluetooth, even without the need to be paired for completion of the extraction.
  • Bluesniff: Similar to the Bluetooth Scanner, Bluesniff is another hacking tool that can be used for the same purpose.
  • Meterpreter: The Meterpreter is the Metasploit Framework, which can offer unique flexibility to the user and allow full and undetected compromise.
  • Social Engineer Toolkit (SET): This is a framework that allows much simpler and easier attacks against social engineering. One such attack is the SMS spoofing option pinpointed in Mr. Robot.
  • Netscape Navigator: Of course, no hacker uses such a web browser. However, it serves as a memory of how Elliot started hacking and it expresses the show’s commitment to offer true knowledge and information!

It is really encouraging that Mr. Robot goes to such extents to offer realistic hacking tools. So, make sure to check the series and find out why all this fuss is about – you will be hooked!

Written by: Ali Qamar, Founder/Chief Editor at SecurityGladiators.com

Author Bio:
Ali Qamar is an Internet security research enthusiast who enjoys “deep” research to dig out modern discoveries in the security industry. He is the founder and chief editor at Security Gladiators, an ultimate source for cyber security. To be frank and honest, Ali started working online as a freelancer and still shares the knowledge for a living. He is passionate about sharing the knowledge with people, and always try to give only the best. Follow Ali on Twitter @AliQammar57

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Edited by Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs –  Mr. Robot , hacking)



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