back to article Chromecast hack Rickrolls Google's TV stick

Chromecast-owning households may be set to endure Rick Astley's ghastly oeuvre, thanks to a new device that can hijack victims' TV sticks and insert replacement content. Dan Petro's device, the "Rickmote", is a slick Raspberry Pi box that can knock the Google Chromecast video streaming utility off wireless networks allowing …

  1. btrower

    For Great Justice

    All your base are belong to us! Buwahaha.

    1. WraithCadmus
      Devil

      Re: For Great Justice

      What you say ! !

  2. Andrew Jones 2

    Never quite understood how this is supposed to work.

    The Pi needs to be connected to a WiFi network with internet access, and obviously needs to be powered.

    When the Chromecast deauths from the WiFi the Chromecast will enter config mode - which the Pi must take advantage of, and tell it to connect to the Pi's AP - which I get.

    But then in order for the Pi to tell the Chromecast to load YouTube and then to load a YouTube video - the Pi needs to have internet access.

    How does the deauth thing work - does the Pi have to be connected to the target WiFi network to issue the deauth command?

    1. Matt Siddall

      One of the dependencies is aircrack - so there's a good chance it can get onto the Chromecast's wifi network using that

  3. frank ly

    Further to Andrew Jones 2 post

    I read the article and watched the linked video and even followed a link in there to someone's blog about this (more of a fan-squee note than anything useful). The article says:

    "The Rickmote Python configuration available on Github was prepackaged with Astley's internet-wrecking hit set to loop."

    Does this mean that the device contains a stored video (possibly a few tens of Mb) that it sends to the Chromecast as a continuous locally sourced video stream?

    Does the device contain the stored Internet address of the YouTube video, with some parameters causing loop-play and force the Chromecast to connect to it via the Chromecast's 'normal' internet connection?

    Does the device have its own internet connection and obtain the video feed from this connection to send to the Chromecast?

    The exact method is not clearly explained.

    1. Tom 38

      Re: Further to Andrew Jones 2 post

      I thought it works like this:

      It uses aircrack to discover the network the chromecast is currently using.

      It broadcasts bad packets in order to disrupt the chromecast's wifi connection.

      When this happens, the chromecast will accept new connections, as it thinks it needs to be configured.

      When this happens, the pi-rickroll box sets up a new network and instructs the chromecast that it is the new controller.

      Once it has control, it sends content to the chromecast.

  4. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Gone but not forgotten

    And with this little gadget never to be forgotten.

  5. CaptainCorrection
    Stop

    p0wn

    Stop writing 'p0wn', it doesn't make sense. The 'leetspeak' word is pwn, which arose because of a typo (O being next to P). If you put an O (or zero) in it, what's the P for?

    1. dotdavid
      Meh

      Re: p0wn

      Maybe the h4x0rs left the P because, like Chuck Norris, they don't have a backspace key 'cos they never make any mistakes they need to undo.

  6. Graham Lee

    Rickrolling wi-fi devices

    It sounds like a harmless bit of fun, but every time you subsequently try to connect the Chromecast to a network it remains undiscoverable. You ask for its IP address and it says "I'm never gonna give you ARP".

  7. CaptainCorrection
    Thumb Up

    Video of device being demonstrated

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

    1. Robert Helpmann??
      FAIL

      Re: Video of device being demonstrated

      It's only funny if it's not damn obvious.

  8. NP-Hardass

    *Yawn*

    If your simple goal is to Rick-Roll, anyone with access to the Chromecast can cast something new in place of something currently being cast. It's already simple to Rick-Roll.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like