Robo Vacuum Cleaners Exhibit Racist Behavior Following Hack – ABC
In various US cities, robotic vacuum cleaners have been experiencing issues after reports indicated that hackers gained control over them. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Reports have emerged of autonomous appliances in the US misbehaving, particularly among owners of robotic vacuum cleaners, who have claimed their devices have been hacked and are shouting obscenities. This was highlighted in an ABC News report on Thursday.
Daniel Swenson, a lawyer from Minnesota, recounted his experience to the outlet. While watching TV, he noticed his Ecovacs Deebot X2, a Chinese-made vacuum, was malfunctioning. He described the initial noise from the robot as resembling a scrambled radio signal, with snippets that sounded like a voice.
Upon discovering that an unknown individual had connected to his robot and was using its remote control feature, Swenson initially thought it might just be a glitch, prompting him to reboot the vacuum. However, it soon began moving again, shouting racist obscenities through its speaker, repeating phrases like “f* n***s” repeatedly.
Swenson speculated that a likely culprit behind the attack was “maybe a kid, maybe a teenager,” suggesting they were simply “jumping from device to device, messing with families.”
ABC's report indicated that similar hacking incidents have been reported across the US in recent months. In May, a hacked Deebot X2 in Los Angeles was said to have chased its owner’s dog around the house while swearing through its speakers. In the same month, an Ecovacs robot in El Paso, Texas, was reported to have been spewing racial slurs until its owner unplugged it.
Prior to these incidents, security researchers had attempted to alert Ecovacs to significant vulnerabilities related to its vacuum cleaners and the controlling app. They specifically pointed out flaws in the robots’ Bluetooth controllers and the inadequacies of the PIN code system that protects the video feed and remote control feature. Cybersecurity experts noted that the four-digit PIN could be easily bypassed, as it was only verified by the app and not by the server or the robot itself.
Ecovacs has confirmed Swenson’s account following his complaint. However, the company suggested that the incident occurred due to unauthorized access to Swenson’s account and password, rather than a breach of Ecovacs’ systems.
In response, the manufacturer announced plans to issue a security upgrade for X2 series robot vacuum owners in November.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
Daniel Swenson, a lawyer from Minnesota, recounted his experience to the outlet. While watching TV, he noticed his Ecovacs Deebot X2, a Chinese-made vacuum, was malfunctioning. He described the initial noise from the robot as resembling a scrambled radio signal, with snippets that sounded like a voice.
Upon discovering that an unknown individual had connected to his robot and was using its remote control feature, Swenson initially thought it might just be a glitch, prompting him to reboot the vacuum. However, it soon began moving again, shouting racist obscenities through its speaker, repeating phrases like “f* n***s” repeatedly.
Swenson speculated that a likely culprit behind the attack was “maybe a kid, maybe a teenager,” suggesting they were simply “jumping from device to device, messing with families.”
ABC's report indicated that similar hacking incidents have been reported across the US in recent months. In May, a hacked Deebot X2 in Los Angeles was said to have chased its owner’s dog around the house while swearing through its speakers. In the same month, an Ecovacs robot in El Paso, Texas, was reported to have been spewing racial slurs until its owner unplugged it.
Prior to these incidents, security researchers had attempted to alert Ecovacs to significant vulnerabilities related to its vacuum cleaners and the controlling app. They specifically pointed out flaws in the robots’ Bluetooth controllers and the inadequacies of the PIN code system that protects the video feed and remote control feature. Cybersecurity experts noted that the four-digit PIN could be easily bypassed, as it was only verified by the app and not by the server or the robot itself.
Ecovacs has confirmed Swenson’s account following his complaint. However, the company suggested that the incident occurred due to unauthorized access to Swenson’s account and password, rather than a breach of Ecovacs’ systems.
In response, the manufacturer announced plans to issue a security upgrade for X2 series robot vacuum owners in November.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
