People are so concerned with AI and the rise of the machines these days, they don't realize that the real danger lies in … vacuums?
It turns out robot vacuums can be easily commandeered (and in huge numbers, at that).
Today, they're cleaning your floors. Tomorrow? They're amassing into an army to suck the life out of mankind.
From Popular Science:
A software engineer's earnest effort to steer his new DJI robot vacuum with a video game controller inadvertently granted him a sneak peek into thousands of people's homes.
While building his own remote-control app, Sammy Azdoufal reportedly used an AI coding assistant to help reverse-engineer how the robot communicated with DJI's remote cloud servers. But he soon discovered that the same credentials that allowed him to see and control his own device also provided access to live camera feeds, microphone audio, maps, and status data from nearly 7,000 other vacuums across 24 countries. The backend security bug effectively exposed an army of internet-connected robots that, in the wrong hands, could have turned into surveillance tools, all without their owners ever knowing.
Enjoying the convenience of your robot vacuum? That's nice. You're also offering hackers a camera that can help them map the inside of your home.
Luckily, Azdoufal chose not to exploit that. Instead, he shared his findings with The Verge, which quickly contacted DJI to report the flaw. While DJI tells Popular Science the issue has been 'resolved,' the dramatic episode underscores warnings from cybersecurity experts who have long warned that internet-connected robots and other smart home devices present attractive targets for hackers.
Armies of rampaging robot vacuums are interesting and all, but what of Azdoufal's quest to operate his robot with a game controller?
True to his word, though, Azdoufal found himself wrapped up in this mess even though all he wanted to do was drive his robot around with a joystick. On that front, mission accomplished.
Well done.
You've unlocked the potential of a new hellish dystopia where we live under tyranny after someone siezes control of Roombas everywhere, but still…
