'Mr. Robot' uses a Pwn Phone, the work of one Boston-based startup

Mr. Robot didn't have to imagine a new device for last week's episode.

The phone used to tap into a certain Dark Army's conversation is a product from Pwnie Express, a Boston-based startup focused on device threat detection.

For Pwnie Express, the device called the Pwn Phone allows anyone to test for vulnerabilities within wired, wireless and Bluetooth networks. There are more than 100 open source testing tools built into an Android phone, which retails for $1300.

Pwnie Express specializes in making its penetration testing equipment look like air fresheners, power strips, and for the case of the Pwn Phone, a regular cell phone.

"A lot of times if you’re trying to audit something and checking the facility, everybody gets a little suspicious. This is like sending mystery shoppers around the store or what you see in Undercover Boss," Paul Paget, CEO of Pwnie Express, told Mashable.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

For the show's fsociety, the Pwn Phone is a platform for running their own script that lets them decrypt and then transfer malicious software onto someone's phone. The Pwn Phone was just a simple accessory. Indeed, the hack could have been done on a computer setup, or fsociety could have made their own mobile version.

While Pwnie Express is in the business of protecting companies, not supporting criminal actions, the company and its employees have a strong affinity toward the award-winning show.

"We’re thrilled to be on a show like that because they’re educating people on what can be done," Paget said.

"The thing I love about Mr. Robot is the fact that everything they're doing, with a little bit of a dramatic license is real. It’s absolutely real," said Yolonda Smith, director of product management at Pwnie Express.

That realistic depiction included the show's use of the Pwn Phone. The only fault, Smith said, was that the hack took about 10 seconds in the show while in reality it would take at least a minute.

Mr. Robot knack for showing hacks provides a case study for why businesses like Pwnie Express exist, Paget said.

The Pwn Phone and the device business was the foundation of Pwnie Express, but the startup has since expanded to offering software.

Customers expressed interest to Paget and his team on being able to not only see threats but also to understand what was being plugged into their networks.

Its service called Pwnie Pulse monitors the network to track exactly what devices are connected and where they are. For example, hospitals use it to keep track of medical devices.

"The problems aren’t even just security problems. It’s basic accounting of products," Paget said.

That type of service could have prevented some of the attacks in Mr. Robot. If a device is hacked whether via wireless or Bluetooth, the Pwnie Pulse would pick it up and track any movement.

"But I don't want to endure the wrath of fsociety," Smith said.