US Edition
Man Tries to Control His Robot Vacuum with PS5 Controller, Accidentally Takes over 7,000 of Them
- An AI strategist showed to The Verge that an AI coding tool accidentally gained control of roughly 6,700 DJI vacuum devices across 24 countries, including access to live video and metadata.
- A playful experiment to use a game controller led Azdoufal to buy a Romo and use Claude Code to reverse-engineer its cloud authentication, exposing nearly 7,000 vacuums.
- Live video, audio and device metadata were accessible, allowing Azdoufal to steer robots, view onboard cameras, retrieve floorplans and battery levels, and bypass device PINs with a 14-digit code.
- Shortly after being told, DJI closed the loophole, issued automatic patches, and said only a few users exploited the flaw while end users need no action.
- The episode underscores growing concern over smart-home privacy, highlighting risks in Chinese-made DJI devices and showing U.S.-hosted data can be accessed remotely from Spain.
27 Articles
27 Articles
A Spanish software engineer remotely controlled around 7,000 robot vacuum cleaners from 24 countries. He was able to spy on homes remotely using built-in cameras and listen to what people were talking about using microphones. The vacuum cleaners also provided him with the rough location of apartments or houses and even their layout.
DJI Romo Robot Vacuum Security Flaw Exposes Thousands
A tech enthusiast accidentally uncovered a major security flaw affecting thousands of internet-connected robot vacuums, gaining access to detailed floor plans, live camera feeds, and audio streams. The discovery has renewed concerns about foreign-built smart devices operating inside American homes. The company involved says it has implemented fixes, but additional vulnerabilities reportedly remain. According to reporting by Tom’s Hardware, Sammy…
Tinkerer Gains Access to 7K Robot Vacuums
A French software engineer tinkering with his $2,000 robot vacuum wound up with the virtual keys to thousands of other people's homes. Sammy Azdoufal tells the Verge he was trying to figure out how to control his DJI Romo vacuum with a video game controller as a fun experiment....
Zero Hedge
Nemos News NetworkMan Accidentally Hacks Himself A 7,000-Robot Army
Man Accidentally Hacks Himself A 7,000-Robot Army A software engineer in Spain had the surprise of his life when he found himself in control of thousands of robots in what was supposed to be a pet project. Sammy Azdoufal set out to customize his new Chinese-made DJI Romo robot vacuum, a high-end autonomous cleaner that comes with a price tag of $2,000 that maps homes, mops floors, and navigates obstacles with onboard sensors, according to Popula…
Sammy Azdoufal only wanted to control his vacuum cleaner robot with a game console controller. Then he discovered a safety leak from the manufacturer – and looked into more than 7,000 living rooms worldwide.
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