Hackers take control of vacuum robots and use them to shout insults.
An attack involving Ecovacs robot vacuums may seem more like a prank than anything else, but it remains unsettling for those who have experienced it.
In several cities across the United States, owners of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 robot vacuum have fallen victim to a cyberattack. This incident allowed an intruder to take control of the devices, using the robots to spew offensive language at families and harass pets. The hacks occurred in May of this year in locations such as El Paso, Texas, Los Angeles, and Minnesota.
One affected individual, Daniel Swenson, described how his robot vacuum began emitting a static sound similar to a "damaged radio signal," but occasionally, a voice could be heard. Despite trying to restart the device, the voice, which sounded like a teenager shouting racial insults, continued to play. Instead of restarting the device again, he decided to turn it off.
This incident has raised concerns about the possibility that hackers might attempt to access other smart devices in homes. However, Ecovacs confirmed that the issue stemmed from a "credential stuffing incident" linked to an IP address in an "unusual" location. Unfortunately, this indicates that the attacker used techniques to mask their IP address, making their identification difficult.
While it could be considered a prank, there are greater risks, as many robot vacuums are equipped with cameras that hackers could use to spy inside homes, thus compromising the privacy of residents. For parents, this situation is particularly concerning regarding the safety of their children.
Apparently, a known security flaw was the culprit behind this incident. Nevertheless, there are proactive measures users can take to mitigate risk. It is advisable to keep smart home devices updated and enable automatic updates whenever possible.
