Hacking Havoc: Unleashed Robot Vacuums Turn Home Invaders!

In a disturbing series of events, Chinese-made Ecovacs Deebot X2 robot vacuums in multiple US cities were hacked, resulting in attackers not only physically controlling these devices but also yelling obscenities through their onboard speakers. Victims recall a stranger accessing the device's live camera feed and remote control feature via the Ecovacs app. Minnesota attorney Daniel Swenson recounts his family's shocking experience with the hacked device, its speaker blaring racist epithets at them.

Horrifyingly, another early incident involved a remote-controlled Deebot X2 chasing a pet dog around its Los Angeles home, with abusive remarks emanating from its speakers. Later, an El Paso resident was subjected to racial slurs from his device until he managed to unplug it. The exact number of hacked Ecovacs devices remains unknown.

Uncomfortably, security researchers had warned Ecovacs six months prior about significant security flaws in its devices and the app controlling them, including a detrimental Bluetooth connector flaw granting complete device access from over 100 meters away. Other issues included a faulty PIN code system protecting the device's video feed and the ability to disable the warning sound meant to play when the robot's camera is being observed. As a response to these heightened incidences, Ecovacs stated it would issue a security upgrade for its X2 series in November.

- CyberBeat