Pineapple Cloning Tutorial, Pt. 1: Hardware and Firmware

New series on Pineapple Cloning!

A Year of Pwnagotchi, and Now… Pineapple Cloning!

Nearly a year ago, I started my Pwnagotchi series. While you can still expect a Top 10 Pwnagotchi Plugins video and continuing coverage, today I’m starting a brand new series on Pineapple Cloning!

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Why Pineapple Clone?

A Pineapple Clone is:

• Cheaper
• More versatile
• More powerful than a Pwnagotchi

Plus, if you attach googly eyes to it, it can be just as kawaii!

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What We’ll Cover:

In this video, we’ll cover:

• Preferred hardware
• Where to find OpenWRT and Pineapple clone firmware
• Installation steps
• Important considerations

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About the Hak5 Pineapple

The Hak5 Pineapple is a powerful tool for network security professionals. Originally created as a compact Wi-Fi auditing device, it supports:

• Man-in-the-middle attacks
• Rogue access points
• Network reconnaissance

The Pineapple Termidor Project by xschwarze clones the functionalities of the Pineapple NANO and TETRA onto commercially available routers that support mips or mipsel architectures, using OpenWRT.

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Preferred Hardware

xschwarze recommends:

• GL.iNet GL-AR150 or GL-AR750S
• USB 2-port hub
• RT5370 or MT7612U Wi-Fi adapter (for devices without dual Wi-Fi adapters)

I recommend the GL.iNet GL-MT300N-V2 for its:

• Affordability
• Availability
• Hackability

The GL-MT300N-V2 (Mango) and GL-AR750S (Slate) both come with pre-installed OpenWRT and can be powered by a battery bank. The Slate supports 2G and 5G and has a slot for a microSD card. The Mango is more affordable but lacks these features.

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Process Overview:

Flashing the wrong OpenWRT version can brick your router. Here’s the correct process:

1. Download OpenWRT v19.07.7 firmware and Pineapple clone firmware specific to your router.
2. Flash the OpenWRT 19.07.7 firmware.
3. Flash the Pineapple clone firmware.

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Important Considerations:

1. The GL.iNet OpenWRT GUI is accessible at 192.168.8.1.
2. After flashing, 192.168.8.1 will update with the new OpenWRT firmware.
3. After the second flash, the Pineapple clone GUI will be available at 172.16.42.1:1471.

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Unboxing Time:

Mango: Plastic wrap, paper, and cables—check! Slate: Same deal, but with a slip saying, “Bricking the router is your inescapable destiny.” Fun.

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Firmware Selection Tips:

Go to firmware-selector.openwrt.org, select v19.07.7, and search for your router model. If the search doesn’t work, tweak your search terms.

Then, head over to gitlab.com/xchwarze/wifi-pineapple-cloner-builds to download the Pineapple clone firmware for your specific router.

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Flashing the Firmware:

Here’s the simplified process:

1. Go to 192.168.8.1 and create a password.
2. Navigate to Upgrade > Local Upgrade, select your OpenWRT firmware, and flash it.
3. After it updates, go to System > Backup/Flash Firmware, select your Pineapple clone firmware, and flash it.
4. Open a new tab at 172.16.42.1:1471 and refresh until you see the Pineapple interface.

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Oops! I Bricked It…

I bricked two Slate routers after flashing the wrong firmware. Lesson learned! Next episode, we’ll cover unbricking with a USB-to-TTL adapter. It’s finally here!: https://youtu.be/-0q9BgFu9nQ

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What’s Next?

In upcoming episodes, we’ll mod a Mango case and antenna, explore the Pineapple interface, and dive into advanced hacks. Stay tuned!

P.S. If Hak5 licensed their firmware for a small fee and supported xschwarze, it’d be a win for everyone. Until then, please support them in other ways!