Meet Pwnagotchi, the rewarding, WiFi-eating pet

It’s cute, you can take it with you to your favorite coffee shop, and all the nourishment it needs is WiFi connections: the Pwnagotchi might just be the perfect pet. Oh, and it encourages hacking, if you’re into that.

A cute little hacker pet — Pwnagotchi is an open-source, DIY gadget that eats WiFi handshakes, the process that allows your devices to connect to routers and other internet-connected devices. It’s a little larger than a Tamagotchi, but it’ll still fit in your bag, and it has a cute ASCII-emoticon face that evolves to match its mood. The Pwnagotchi can even detect when a potential friend (another Pwnagotchi) is nearby.

It’s an ethical hacker, though — Though its technology has been embraced by professional hackers — little more than a month after its launch, there’s already a passionate community of them all over the world playing with it — the pet’s creators intend it to be a learning tool for anyone interested in understanding more about wireless security. Its creator, Simone Margaritelli, says the product’s main objective is to push vendors “for mass adoption of safer Wi-Fi technologies.”

Man’s new best friend? — Pwnagotchi is an inexpensive option for those looking to learn more about ethical hacking and WiFi security. It’s already shown itself to be great for third-party development, too, so its uses will only continue to expand in the future.