Technology

59534 readers

3143 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

224

Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say (techcrunch.com)

submitted 3 months ago by lemmee_in@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

37 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Malicious hackers can take over control of vacuum and lawn mower robots made by Ecovacs to spy on their owners using the devices’ cameras and microphones, new research has found.

Security researchers Dennis Giese and Braelynn are due to speak at the Def Con hacking conference on Saturday detailing their research into Ecovacs robots. When they analyzed several Ecovacs products, the two researchers found a number of issues that can be abused to hack the robots via Bluetooth and surreptitiously switch on microphones and cameras remotely.

“Their security was really, really, really, really bad,” Giese told TechCrunch in an interview ahead of the talk.

The researchers said they reached out to Ecovacs to report the vulnerabilities but never heard back from the company, and believe the vulnerabilities are still not fixed and could be exploited by hackers.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Wildly_Utilize@infosec.pub 4 points 3 months ago (3 children)

As someone who has never felt the need for a roomba

What so you like so much about it?

[–] Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I dispise vacuuming and sweeping and I have 2 canines, so there’s a lot of fur and grime on the floor that needs regular tending to. I bought the roomba model that is self charging and self emptying, so you can just let it run in a set it and forget it fashion.

Alternatively, it also actually helps motivate me to do other chores as well. I have to pick up everything off the floor before running the vac, and at that point I just start tidying up other things while letting it run.

[–] Wildly_Utilize@infosec.pub 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Oh OK cool I didn't realize they had self cleaning ones now. That does sound really convenient for hairy dogs

[–] Solemn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

Mine also mops, refills the mop water and soap, washes it's own mop, and drains the dirty water down the drain.

[–] dirthawker0@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

I hate lugging around that heavy noisy thing, and I don't have pets. I'm a bit shocked at how much hair two humans drop in a week. The robovac runs twice a week and I empty it once a week, and it keeps the more open/obvious spaces looking pretty pristine. Dust on a shiny floor really shows. There are places where it cannot go and those need to be done by me, but they're less visible areas so no need for frequent vacuuming.