First came the nanny cams and Randy Spears Archiveshome assistants, then came the security doorbells, now it's the age of the hacked vacuums.
First reported by ABC News Australia, owners of robot vacuums across multiple U.S. states experienced invasive hacking of their devices by individuals who took physical control of the cleaning bots and used their internal audio features to shout racial slurs at people in their homes. Owners first heard garbled voices coming from their devices, then noticed the vacuum's live feed camera and remote controls were turned on via the device's app.
SEE ALSO: Fidelity data breach compromises more than 77,000 customersAll of the affected devices were manufactured by brand Ecovac, specifically the company's Deebot X2 model. The hack was confirmed to one customer after they filed a complaint through customer support.
Smart devices have long worried security experts and users for their potential vulnerabilities. In August, cyber security researchers uncovered multiple vulnerabilities in Ecovacs products (including lawn mowers) that could allow hackers to take control of microphones and cameras via mobile Bluetooth connections — to put it simply, researchers concluded the company's security was "really, really, really, really bad."
Design elements intended to protect users, like an audio alert that lets individuals know the vacuum's camera is on, could be easily switched off.
In a statement to TechCrunchat the time of it's release, Ecovacs said it wouldn't fix the uncovered flaws, saying that users could "rest assured that they do not need to worry excessively about this." The company has a history of security breaches, including hacked device cameras that allowed cyberattackers to spy on owners, and has stirred concern over how it handles user data stored on cloud servers.
Needless to say: It might be a good time to refresh your passwords, vacuums included.
Topics Cybersecurity Robot Vacuums
Trump's science adviser pick is actually a good scientist
Harry Styles' body double is the stuff nightmares are made of
Twitter to U.S. government: No, you can't see who's behind that anti
The best and worst moments of the 2020 Oscars
Best Apple TV+ deal: Get 3 months for $2.99 monthly
Stop creating cutesy buzzwords for asshole online dating behavior
Here’s Jared Kushner ready for a yacht party in Iraq
The best and worst moments of the 2020 Oscars
The Beatles biopic casts all the internet's boyfriends in one movie
Oscars 2020: The full winners list
Why Building a Gaming PC Right Now is a Bad Idea, Part 3: Bad Timing
The 6 most emotional moments from the final season of 'Bojack Horseman'
Drowning sign shows Australia's gnarly weather whiplash
Welp, it looks like Antarctica broke its temperature record
The Kindle Scribe just dropped to its lowest price ever, but is it worth it?
Drowning sign shows Australia's gnarly weather whiplash
Nuro's R2 autonomous delivery vehicle gets official OK to ditch steering wheel
Samsung dropped an ad for the Galaxy Z Flip during the Oscars
Is 'Sing Sing' streaming? How to watch the A24 drama at home.
Olivia Colman's Oscars speech deserved an award of its own
Paris SaintFacebook's immersive media head on why 360 video may need its own appTommy Ford dead at 52: Actor starred in 'Martin,' 'The Parkers'Man creates offensively cute 'Harry Potter' pensieve for his weddingThese earrings might stop you from losing your AirpodsHonor 8 smartphone with dualMike Huckabee likens Trump to Captain Quint and Hillary to Jaws, forgets Jaws wonBig congrats to the guy who used a Blockbuster card as ID to buy beerTrump playing their songs? Backstreet Boys don't want it that way.'Batman' is now chasing creepy clowns in the UKTrump playing their songs? Backstreet Boys don't want it that way.DIY iPhone cases made from Evian bottles are all the rage in JapanThese earrings might stop you from losing your AirpodsToyota recalls over 300,000 Prius cars due to brake problemWorst flooding is yet to come in parts of North Carolina, governor warnsTech investors are backing a law to ban homeless camps in San Francisco'Harry Potter' liquorice wands will cast a spell on your taste budsWorst flooding is yet to come in parts of North Carolina, governor warns'Arrow' Season 5: Marc Guggenheim talks Olicity breakup, fan reaction'Expect rape threats': Lessons from Australia's first female leader SNES Classic is sold out everywhere, but you still have a chance to score one Facebook says 10 million people saw Russia's 'divisive' political ads Is 'Star Trek Discovery' worth subscribing to CBS All Access? All the tiny details you missed from the 'Rick and Morty' Season 3 finale People are demanding that the Las Vegas attack be labeled as an act of terrorism Air France flight to LA makes emergency landing in Canada after engine blows out FBI can legally hide what it paid to hack the San Bernardino iPhone 15 extremely mild instances of vandalism Facebook's data Antarctica's massive Larsen C iceberg looks different in daylight Ellen DeGeneres spreads messages of hope and kindness in regards to the Las Vegas attack The Crown Estate didn't give 'Star Wars' permission to film on the Queen's land Watch Tom Petty perform American Girl, Free Fallin' during last tour Characters like this are why 'SNL' star Kate McKinnon has won 2 Emmys in a row Chanel's ridiculous new rain boots will probably cost more than your rent Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump returns to 'SNL' wearing a golf shirt, of course The Louvre rejects giant sculpture that looks like 2 buildings having, um, well you know How Do Not Disturb While Driving works in iOS 11 Bear chills out on garbage dump's couch after a long day Automakers are pushing for electric cars sooner than you'd think
2.1759s , 8200.3125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Randy Spears Archives】,Co-creation Information Network