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Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

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Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#111

Post by Rebelgecko »

hattmall wrote: post #93
exabrial wrote: post #84

Can someone point me to something I saw earlier? Apple alerts users to "tags that might be following you". Someone made an implementation that used a KDF to rotate the mac address or private key or something, but it was predictable in a way you could track each derivation of the of the mac/private key. There is a really obnoxious petty theft problem where I live, and the time it takes to constantly get my windows fix…

You can buy GPS cellular trackers. Then just get a really cheap or even free IOT sim. Alternatively you could probably just walk to your nearest drug addict hangout with case of bottled water and ask them to stop breaking into your stuff.

Do you have more info on free IOT sims? Are the plans just super low data rate?

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#112

Post by alibarber »

nl wrote: post #109
alibarber wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's the wall in Apple's walled garden here. From reading the official Apple spec. for partners a while back, as part of the pairing process, something is signed by the device with a cert/key that apple issued to that developer (after coming to an agreement i.e - $$) - and, crucially, is different from the keypair that the device will use to actually broadcast. This is then validated by apple and thus allow…

This isn't actually the case. Apple supports 3rd party trackers - see https://mfi.apple.com/ and https://developer.apple.com/find-my/

Yes, this is exactly what I’m saying.

Apple officially supports third party trackers, who’s manufactures are issued, by apple as a part of their MFI programs, keys with which these third party devices must use to sign their pairing requests to the users apple account.

Perhaps these $5 devices do indeed include legitimate keys from apple to use from this, perhaps they have copied one from another device.

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#113

Post by kmarc »

sorenjan wrote: post #56

I wish there was a good option for non Apple users. From what I've heard Google made their version pretty bad, as expected. They rate limit how often you can search for your own tags, they won't show the location until a tag has been seen by multiple phones, there's poor coverage. One test I saw showed that Samsung's network was better, which makes no sense since Samsung phones should be a subset of all Android phone…

Samsung's solution is not a subset, but a superior, separate concept.

It works incredibly well, even at the most remote countries' airports, villages, etc I can find my 2 tags. A peace of mind.

This guy concludes that Samsung SmartTag is the best, even if you are an iPhone user:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9wefUV_bR0Y

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#114

Post by wickedsight »

exabrial wrote: post #84

Can someone point me to something I saw earlier? Apple alerts users to "tags that might be following you". Someone made an implementation that used a KDF to rotate the mac address or private key or something, but it was predictable in a way you could track each derivation of the of the mac/private key. There is a really obnoxious petty theft problem where I live, and the time it takes to constantly get my windows fix…

In my submissions you can find a link to an article I wrote about OpenHaystack and those alerts. TL;DR, I was never warned by iOS about an OpenHaystack based tracker that I stuck inside my car for a while. That was a couple of years ago though, so things may have changed.

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#115

Post by Alive-in-2025 »

bookofjoe wrote: post #105
Alive-in-2025 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of a weird flex by mentioning the meta glasses. Nice looking cat * Wrote this on my cell phone. ;-)

>Kind of a weird flex — I love this! So HN. Because once when I posted an imgur photo here with no camera provenance, a commenter asked "What camera was used to take that photo? FunFact: it's MUCH easier to take a photo of your cat with glasses than a phone — hands-free is the future IMHO

You can't win with people complaining on hacker news ;-) I was just thinking of the old days when iphones first came out and so many people added them to their signatures "sent from an iphone" or something.

It's all cool.

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#116

Post by bookofjoe »

Alive-in-2025 wrote: post #115
bookofjoe wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Kind of a weird flex — I love this! So HN. Because once when I posted an imgur photo here with no camera provenance, a commenter asked "What camera was used to take that photo? FunFact: it's MUCH easier to take a photo of your cat with glasses than a phone — hands-free is the future IMHO

You can't win with people complaining on hacker news ;-) I was just thinking of the old days when iphones first came out and so many people added them to their signatures "sent from an iphone" or something. It's all cool.

Re: signatures "Sent from my iPhone" and "Sent from my iPad": those are the Apple defaults; you have to go into Settings and change them if you want to not have them appear at the end of every email.

When the devices first came out people who were early adopters liked to use them as a sign of how cool and hip they were: I know many such individuals.

Nowadays most people I'm related to and friends STILL have those defaults in place because they don't realize they can get rid of them.

You can always tell a non-techie by the fact those defaults are still there.

Re: Openhaystack: Build 'AirTags' – track Bluetooth devices via Apple's network

#117

Post by bigfatkitten »

Rebelgecko wrote: post #111
hattmall wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy GPS cellular trackers. Then just get a really cheap or even free IOT sim. Alternatively you could probably just walk to your nearest drug addict hangout with case of bottled water and ask them to stop breaking into your stuff.

Do you have more info on free IOT sims? Are the plans just super low data rate?

Hologram used to have a free developer plan that gave you 1MB per month. I don't know if it still exists.

Doesn't sound like much, but it's a monstrous amount of data for a battery powered GNSS tracker.

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