Robotic Vacuums May Hoover Your Data

Researchers have discovered a pair of vulnerabilities that allow unauthorized code execution in a robotic vacuum.

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

July 20, 2018

1 Min Read
Dark Reading logo in a gray background | Dark Reading

A robot vacuum cleaner sure makes cleaning floors easier, but it may also ease the load for those looking to eavesdrop on private conversations. That's the conclusion of researchers at Positive Technologies, who found that they could compromise the Dongguan Diqee 360 robotic vacuum to turn it into a mobile surveillance device.

Researchers found a pair of vulnerabilities, one accessible to remote attackers and one that requires physical contact with the machine. The remote vulnerability would allow an outsider to gain superuser privileges on the device, giving them the ability to run unauthorized software. The physical contact vulnerability exploits the mechanism for doing firmware updates and allows an unauthorized user to insert a microSD card containing unauthorized code.

In either case, the unauthorized code could use the physical capabilities of the robot and spread laterally inside the network firewall to gain access to cameras and microphones. Then it could use the robot as a hub for distributing the information to the attacker or even turn the robotic vacuum into a node on a botnet.

Read here and here for more.

Horizontal-334031_BH_US18_banners_468x60_non_1.png

 

 

 

Black Hat USA returns to Las Vegas with hands-on technical Trainings, cutting-edge Briefings, Arsenal open-source tool demonstrations, top-tier security solutions and service providers in the Business Hall. Click for information on the conference and to register.

About the Author

Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

Dark Reading is a leading cybersecurity media site.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights