Vulnerability in Wi‑Fi adapters MAC‑577IF‑2E in setup mode

The researcher Zachary Mitev conducted a large-scale experiment analyzing Wi‑Fi packets across a city using a rooted Android phone with GPS.

Key findings: • Mitsubishi Electric air conditioners with the Mitsubishi MAC‑577IF‑2E Wi‑Fi adapter, while in setup mode (before the owner connects them to an access point), constantly send probe requests for fixed SSIDs: "DefaultSSID", "moduletest" and others. • These devices can be easily detected over the air, even through walls. • The combination of requested SSIDs enables device tracking even with MAC randomization enabled — a unique