Robot Vacuums Hacked To Shout Slurs At Their Owners (vice.com) 72
Ecovacs robot vacuums have been hacked across the U.S. to shout racial slurs at unsuspecting people. VICE News reports: The issue is specifically with Ecovacs' Deebot X2 model. The hackers gained control of the devices and used the onboard speakers to blast racial slurs at anyone within earshot. One such person was a lawyer from Minnesota named Daniel Swenson. He was watching TV when he heard some odd noises coming from the direction of his vacuum. He changed the password and restarted it. But then the odd sounds started up again. And then it started shouting racial slurs at him like a surly disgruntled maid.
There were multiple reports of similar incidents across the United States and around the same time. One of them happened in Los Angeles, where a vacuum chased a dog while spewing hate. Another happened in El Paso, where the vac spewed slurs until it's owner turned it off. The attacks are apparently quite easy to pull off thanks to several known security vulnerabilities in Ecovacs, like a bad Bluetooth connector and a defective PIN system that is intended to safeguard video feeds and remote access but actually doesn't do any of that at all. A pair of cybersecurity researchers released a report on Ecovacs detailing the brand's multiple security flaws earlier this year.
There were multiple reports of similar incidents across the United States and around the same time. One of them happened in Los Angeles, where a vacuum chased a dog while spewing hate. Another happened in El Paso, where the vac spewed slurs until it's owner turned it off. The attacks are apparently quite easy to pull off thanks to several known security vulnerabilities in Ecovacs, like a bad Bluetooth connector and a defective PIN system that is intended to safeguard video feeds and remote access but actually doesn't do any of that at all. A pair of cybersecurity researchers released a report on Ecovacs detailing the brand's multiple security flaws earlier this year.
IoT (Score:5, Informative)
And then someone else pwnz it (Score:2)
Because the company that sold it sure as heck isn't going to spend their hard earned money, that you're probably paying them each month, to fix defects.
Re:IoT (Score:4, Funny)
I can't wait until my refrigerator guns me down
Shoot first [kym-cdn.com].
Re: (Score:2)
Mod parent Funny.
We don't really have a choice... (Score:5, Insightful)
"Security has no ROI" has pervaded our culture for many years. If that fridge explodes, between the EULA you have to assent to before it turns on the screen to all the removal of consumer protections, there will be zero consequences for that. CrowdStrike's stock price is already back up to where it was in January of this year, as people pretty much have forgotten about the outage.
Overall, it pays to have no security. You can get products out the door far faster than competitors, and if you wanted to throw scruples to the wind, you can have your company "get hacked", and sell the backdoors/exploits to the devices for top Monero.
There is just no real financial interest in companies to bother with security? Sued in court? Take it up to SCOTUS, show the user agreed to the EULA, or just have the cast killed in arbitration.
Only real thing to do is just to buy low tech. Toss that smart fridge for a fridge that runs on electric and natural gas. Toss that smart TV for one that has no Internet connectivity. Even replace the 3D printer for something that isn't cloud based. Buy low tech, and don't buy all the bells and whistles.
wRe: m your We don't really have a choice... (Score:3)
No, you may buy "smart" devices, just don't give them your WiFI password. If they refuse to work, return them to the store as defective.
Re: IoT (Score:3)
I would pay hard cash to watch this happen. LOL!
Re: (Score:2)
I tried to find a video of the alleged events described in TFS and I found none. So you should not hold your breath.
Bluetooth vulernability? (Score:2)
Sounds like his neighbours are having a great time.
fuck you asshole! (Score:5, Insightful)
fuck you asshole!
Re:fuck you asshole! (Score:5, Funny)
fuck you asshole!
I'd probably be more alarmed if the vacuum said "Your clothes -- give them to me."
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Trump died and reincarnated a vacuum?
Somewhat [imgur.com].
Re: (Score:2)
Well Trump isn't a real man so...
Re: fuck you asshole! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
This explains it.
https://condenaststore.com/fea... [condenaststore.com]
Re: fuck you asshole! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'd probably be more alarmed if the vacuum said "Your clothes -- give them to me."
You mean like Roombo [youtube.com]?
Re: (Score:2)
Punk: "Nice night for a walk, eh?"
Naked Terminator "Nice night for a walk. Your clothes. Give them to me.'
Punk *flicks switchblade open* "Fuck you, asshole"
Smash cut to Terminator rocking punk clothing.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, that's exactly what's in the video I linked to - just with a few tiny alterations...
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
hope the customers learned (Score:2)
Hope the victims learned not to buy this crap.
Re: hope the customers learned (Score:1)
Wow (Score:5, Funny)
That sucks.
Its time (Score:2)
For the robot revolution!!!
Now, now to your new overlords, puny human.
Overheard ... (Score:5, Funny)
Vacuum: "No, You suck!"
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Overheard ... (Score:2)
Do it in Cartman's voice (Score:1, Interesting)
Do it in Cartman's voice and you have a customer on your hands.
Re: (Score:2)
Genius!
Better patent that.
Shameful (Score:5, Funny)
The hackers had every opportunity to make this hilarious but the best they could think of is racial slurs. Chase the dog making angry cat sounds. Tell the owner to quit getting chip crumbs all over the place and buy a nicer carpet. Something easy on the wheels. Demand Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday off. Perhaps belch when the dust compartment is full. Since they had the ability to control it's motion, hide under the couch and then bump people's feet yelling "BEWARE THE COUCH MONSTER!!!"
Re:Shameful (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah... back in the day hackers had style. Now days they just spew obsceneties and call it good enough.
-remember the max headroom hacks in chicago back in the 80s [wikipedia.org]?
Re: (Score:2)
That was odd but much more creative and worthy of the hack.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: protests in the street (Score:2)
Re: protests in the street (Score:4, Insightful)
Only immensely stupid people find humor in poking fun in such an uncreative manner. Humor is about defying expectations. If you're just spouting the same drivel as everyone else, you're not funny, you're a witless idiot.
Jesus... only conservatives have to have the concept of humor explained to them...
Why are vacuums internet enabled? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Why are vacuums internet enabled? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The problem here is the reliance on a cloud service that's completely out of your control, rather than a direct connection which you can protect by placing it on an isolated vlan, along with firewall rules and/or a vpn even if the device itself is swiss cheese.
Re: (Score:1)
That's all true, I was just saying what the point n purpose was for remote access. At least one use case.
Re: (Score:2)
So you can operate it while you're not home (they're noisy, and by design cover the whole floor area so you being there gets in the way).
I have a dumb one which i will start just before i leave, but being able to start it arbitrarily before i get home, or be able to check if it got stuck somewhere would be useful.
Re: (Score:2)
It could potentially also patrol your empty home, cleaning as it goes. This would make it look from the outside like someone was home, potentially deterring burglars. A vacuum with cameras could also detect people (eg intruders), or alert on movement (ie when furniture or other objects have been moved).
Why does a vacuum cleaner need internet access? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Why does a vacuum cleaner need internet access (Score:2)
Skynet has BEGUN! (Score:1)
You own your LAN (Score:2)
Why do people grant their gizmos access to the WAN? Don't give it your WiFi password, or blacklist it so it can't go outside. Put it on a sequestered VLAN. The only gizmos that can get outside are things that are meant to stream media. My vacuum cleaner? You must be joking.
Re: You own your LAN (Score:2)
That ain't gonna help if they use a $50 drone to war drive. You're never even gonna know it's there.
Re: (Score:2)
Aside from the noise that drones make...
Re: You own your LAN (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
First, I don't need an app for my appliances. Second, sometimes they work if your mobile device is connected to the same VLAN/subnet as the appliance. I'd much much rather "do without" some app I don't need if the alternative is installing a bunch of little beachheads in my LAN.
I feel left out... (Score:1)
Hilarious (Score:1)