Google Nexus 5 ‘Pwn Phone’ Hits The Market
Dubbed the Pwn Phone, this highly modified Google Nexus 5 is designed to serve as a legitimate hacking tool and network diagnostics tool for companies and IT professions. Among other things, it’s able to test the security strength of WiFi and Ethernet networks, identifying potential vulnerabilities. IT professionals can use the Pwn Phone to scan their networks for vulnerabilities and attempt to gain access.
What Is The Pwn Phone?
The aptly named Pwn Phone is the brainchild of Pwnie Express — a security intelligence company that specializes in vulnerability assessment and penetration testing products. Pwnie Express has been in the business of producing security products for several years, with its first-generation Pwn Phone (Nokia N900) being released back in 2012. This is the company’s first attempt, however, to build a security product using the Google Nexus 5’s hardware.
The Pwn Phone’s sticker price of $1,295 might discourage some IT professionals from purchasing the device. After all, it’s no secret that the Google Nexus 5 is priced at just $349, so why is Pwnie Express jacking up the price for the same, albeit highly modified, device? The Pwn Phone contains the same stock hardware that’s found in the Nexus 5; however, Pwnie Express has completely revamped its operating system, modifying it to run on a special version of Kali Linux on the back end of Android KitKat 4.4.
“The next generation Pwn Phone 2014 is a cutting edge sleek LG Nexus 5 phone that doubles as a powerful penetration-testing device, making it incredibly easy to evaluate wired, wireless and Bluetooth networks. The most portable pentesting device yet, the Pwn Phone 2014’s custom Android front-end and ‘one-click’ pentesting applications and software updates render it the ideal choice for pentesters who are on the road or conducting a company or agency walk through,” wrote the Pwny Express.
As noted on the company’s website, the Pwn Phone has the ability to serve as a USB host for networks. IT professionals can plug devices directly into the Pwn Phone’s USB port to further identify vulnerabilities. But this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possibilities when using the Pwn Phone as a security diagnostics tool, as it can be used in a wide range of circumstances to scan for exploitable holes and security flaws in the networks.
The Pwn Phone comes with over 100 pre-installed network monitoring tools, 26 of which are accessible through the device’s home screen. Simply tapping the respective tool’s icon will immediately launch the application.
