White nationalists could be planning to use Flipper Zero tool to disrupt infrastructure, law enforcement warns

An affordable hacking tool is raising concerns among law enforcement that white nationalists might use it to attack power substations or other critical infrastructure.

That’s according to an internal document from the South Dakota Fusion Center (SDFC), which gathers and shares information related to criminal activity. The memo warns local law enforcement to keep an eye out for extremists using the Flipper Zero, a handheld device that retails for $169.

Details, details. The Daily Dot first published the memo, a bulletin sent out from the SDFC to South Dakota law enforcement. The fusion center cited an assessment from the NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau (ICB) that white nationalists, also known as the white identity terrorist movement (WITM), or “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists” (REMVEs), could use the devices to get into sensitive areas.

“Notably, in December 2022, unidentified assailants targeted substations in North Carolina and Washington State in separate attacks,” the memo said. “Many substations are secured by barriers and gates that appear similar to those that can be bypassed with the Flipper Zero; however, these types of barriers are not inherently susceptible to Flipper Zero attacks.”

According to the memo, the ICB has noticed discussions of the Flipper Zero in chats on Telegram—and though REMVEs have not specifically posted on the messaging app about plans to use the device for attacks, they have “expressed interest in purchasing the device for its capabilities to bypass access control systems.”

Threat level. White nationalists are considered extremely dangerous, due in part to their ideology and willingness to use violence. A report prepared by Rand Corporation for the State Department in June 2022 didn’t mince words on the threat posed by the radical movement.

“REMVEs are among the most lethal domestic violent extremists, and they are the most likely to commit mass-casualty attacks,” according to the report. “These movements are characterized by a broad ideological orientation toward xenophobic, anti-Semitic, racist, and misogynistic sentiment.”