How is an orc like an unsecured Wi-Fi network? It’s really not, except that you could argue both align as chaotic evil and — as of earlier this month — you can detect either one with Bilbo’s sword Sting. Spark, a company that sells hackable internet hardware, celebrated the release of the last Hobbit film by modding a toy version of Sting into something that can detect, connect to, and “vanquish” networks. Instead of glowing blue when it’s near orcs and goblins, it flashes in the presence of unsecured Wi-Fi. If you slash the sword, it will connect to the network and remember it, printing “{YOUR WI-FI NETWORK} has been vanquished!” along the way.
Bilbo’s sword Sting can detect unsecured Wi-Fi, not just orcs
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
The project is called WarSting after WarKitteh, a Wi-Fi-finding cat collar that debuted earlier this year (as well as WarKitteh’s antecedents wardialing and wardriving.) Spark produces the core component behind the sword, a small Wi-Fi development kit called the Spark Core, so it’s unsurprisingly published a fairly straightforward guide for turning a standard toy Sting into a WarSting. Just make sure your own Wi-Fi is protected by a mithril coat of WPA2.
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