My Thoughts on the Bash Bunny
In this post, I dust off my old Bash Bunny and take a fresh look at it with the eyes of a more experienced cybersecurity developer. From nostalgic Rickrolls to deep dives into payload scripting and modern OS limitations, I explore whether this $145 USB-based Linux attack tool still holds up today. If you're curious about what the Bash Bunny can (and can’t) do in 2025 — or wondering how it compares to tools like the Flipper Zero — this post breaks it all down with a personal, hands-on perspective.
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Tristan Blond
4/7/20252 min read
The other day, I opened an old drawer and stumbled upon my Bash Bunny — the one I bought back when I was a young enthusiast trying to be as cool as NetworkChuck. I remember being fascinated by its payload injection features and had a blast using it to Rickroll my friends.
Now, with more experience under my belt as a cybersecurity developer, I found myself wondering: Is it really worth the $145? And what can you actually do with it?
So, for you, I dusted off the old Mr. Robot suit and spent the whole day playing with it. First off — I completely forgot how it worked. But honestly, it's pretty intuitive. There are three switch positions: one for configuration, and two for running different payloads. (I ended up Rickrolling myself, which was a good laugh.)
After a bit of reading, I remembered that Hak5 designed their own scripting language for it, which lets you interact with the hardware directly. You’ve got commands like LED, SLEEP, and QUACK (which simulates keystrokes) — all surprisingly useful. The ATTACKMODE keyword is especially powerful: it tells the Bash Bunny what kind of USB device to emulate — whether that’s a keyboard, network adapter, or mass storage.
Because yes, the Bash Bunny is basically a Linux box disguised as a USB stick. And the best part? You can configure all of it programmatically.
That said, I ran into quite a few issues with Windows security. A lot of the old tricks are now patched in modern operating systems, so you can't count on it for reliable penetration testing anymore. Still, in an unsecured or more relaxed environment, it can absolutely get the job done.
What I really appreciate is how organized and easy-to-use it is. There's a solid community around it, and nowadays, with ChatGPT, troubleshooting and writing payloads is easier than ever.
If you're just looking to mess around, it's probably a bit pricey. You might get similar results with an Arduino or a cheaper alternative. But if you're planning more complex physical attacks that require a full Linux distro on the go — this thing shines.
That said, if you already own something like a Flipper Zero, you might find the Bunny a bit... limited.
