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Is Sharp's Robot Vacuum Cleaner Vulnerable To Remote Take-over? (jvn.jp)

Slashdot reader AmiMoJo reports: Sharp's COCOROBO (heart-bot) vacuum cleaners can not just clean your house. They have cameras that can be viewed from a smart phone, and automatically take pictures of things they find under your sofa. They have microphones and voice recognition, and are able to ask how your day was when you get home from work. You can even activate their speakers and talk to your pets from the office. Unfortunately, so can anyone else if you don't install critical firmware updates.
JPCERT's warning says that the attacker must be on the same LAN to impersonate you, though "as a result, there is a possibility that an arbitrary operation may be conducted."

30 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Under the sofa? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    How about checking under the sofa cushions? Maybe it would be able to earn a wage.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  2. What IoT appliance isn't vulnerable? by TeknoHog · · Score: 2

    n/t

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  3. Re: OMFG! by WarJolt · · Score: 1

    My vacuum was hacked and it caught fire.

  4. The biggest problem with these robot vaccums.... by mark-t · · Score: 1

    ... IMO is that because they need to be small enough to be able to easily get into various places, their canisters are usually too small to be able to complete an entire house before needing emptying, especially if one has pets, and virtually all of them require you to manually empty the canister.

    If Roomba made a self-emptying model, I'd be all over that like nobody's business.

  5. Notice! ***CDG CV**** by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

    A vulnerability has been discovered that leaves the general public vulnerable to eavesdropping attacks! Owners of CDG devices are subject to attacks from random strangers who are in the same home. By simply placing one end of the device against a wall and placing the ear against the other side your private communications may be leaked! These CDGs, also referred to as "common drinking glasses", or sometimes just "glasses" are a serious security flaw. There is NO Firmware update planned. If you have CDGs in your home you should bring them to the landfill immediately or risk suffering the consequences!

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    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  6. Re: OMFG! by redmasq · · Score: 1

    The HCF instruction implies "HALT" rather than "HACK," so, if executed, at least it would have stopped first.

  7. Not by AndyKron · · Score: 2

    I don't want a vacuum cleaner connected to the Internet, nor do I want a vacuum cleaner asking me how my fucking day was.

    1. Re:Not by mark-t · · Score: 1

      To be honest, I can see some real validity and usefulness to having an internet-connected robot vacuum. But it should still have to be using your internet connection, using connectivity that YOU provide to it through your own home network, and not obtain its own internet connection independently of your network configuration. Then, at least theoretically, you could use a firewall around your lan to block unwanted actions, while still being able to access it yourself.

    2. Re:Not by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

      I felt the same way, but then I thought, How else is my dog going to learn a foreign language while I'm away?

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      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  8. Not to be a luddite, but ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, so can anyone else if you don't install critical firmware updates.

    ... do we really need vacuum cleaners that require soft/firmware and security updates?

    Seriously, it's not that hard to vacuum/sweep your floors.

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    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  9. Re:Not to be a luddite, but ... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2
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    #DeleteFacebook
  10. Re: The biggest problem with these robot vaccums.. by mark-t · · Score: 1

    It wouldn't need to go so far. Simply having a facility to self-empty, and dispose of its canister contents in a larger bin at the charger's base-station when it's full before going and resuming vacuuming where it left off would be more than adequate.

  11. Re:The biggest problem with these robot vaccums... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    I've had a few different robot vacuums over the years. They don't replace vacuuming entirely, but they do reduce the workload a lot.

    If you run them regularly then the small bin size isn't a problem, as there isn't that much to pick up. They can't get in every corner but remove the majority of new dust and debris coming into the house. You can then touch up after it every now and then with a powerful hand held manual vacuum every now and then.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  12. Re: OMFG! by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

    Vacuum on fire! Put it out!

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  13. What idiot thought these were good ideas. by gurps_npc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They are vacuum cleaners. They do not need MICROPHONES. If you can't bother to control it via an App, then connect up Amazon's Alexis and let Alexis convert your voice into vacuum cleaner commands.

    Same thing for cameras. What moron thinks that letting your vaccuum cleaner take pictures in your home is a good idea>

    As for me, I don't trust Amazon with a mike in my home, let alone some random vacuum company maker.

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    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:What idiot thought these were good ideas. by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      Please, if you are watching it hoover up your dog's tail are you seriously telling me you don't want to hear your dog yelp too?

  14. Great tool for burglars to case a house by rjune · · Score: 1

    The greatest danger I can see is a tech savvy burglar using the device to see if the house is occupied. One could do the same thing with a "smart" water meter. If someone can determine that no one is home, they can break in and take all the time they want. This may or may not be possible, but you can't really limit yourself when thinking about how technology can be misused.

  15. Re:The biggest problem with these robot vaccums... by mark-t · · Score: 1

    It's not really filthy... there are just multiple pets here that shed. A lot. With a regular vacuum, which is going to generally do a better job than a robot vacuum anyways, we already have to vacuum every two or three days or it gets crazy, Robot vacuum canisters are very tiny, and there are a couple of rooms in our house where a robot vacuum might only just be barely able to finish that one room before its canister needed to be emptied. Multiple vacuums would solve the problem, but that would just double or triple the price.

    Is it really so much to ask for a robot vacuum that can empty its own canister when its full into a larger bin a base station before resuming the task for which it was programmed?

  16. Re:The biggest problem with these robot vaccums... by mark-t · · Score: 1

    If you run them regularly then the small bin size isn't a problem

    We already vacuum every two or three days as it is to keep up with the fur and hair that our pets leave everywhere. While a robot vacuum could be programmed to run every day, I think it's unlikely a single robot vacuum could manage even one day without having an issue because of the small bin size. 2 or 3 robot vacuums would probably do the trick, but then that's 2 or 3 times the price as well... and even a single robot vacuum is going to already be much more than what you would pay for a regular vacuum.

  17. Re:Not to be a luddite, but ... by burtosis · · Score: 2

    Unfortunately, so can anyone else if you don't install critical firmware updates.

    ... do we really need vacuum cleaners that require soft/firmware and security updates?

    Seriously, it's not that hard to vacuum/sweep your floors.

    Sadly, in 15 years we will probably be saying that about underwear.

  18. Begs the question... by redmasq · · Score: 1

    The thread does beg the question, if a vacuum is easily set on fire remotely, does that mean that the vacuum really sucks? If so, although an average end-user would want a vacuum that really sucks, would they want a vacuum that sucks in this thread's context? Also, does the vacuum catching fire from indirect unapproved interfacing to it mean that the manufacturer will cast the warranty to Void? If so, does this mean that the owner will need to return to manual garbage collection? Will people even realize the gravity of the issue, and if not will they be doomed to be stretched beyond limit and then left in the dark and crushed?

  19. Re:OMFG! by sjames · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because it has a CAMERA and can be driven around the house through the smart phone interface. If it gets hacked, the bad guy gets a mobile spy cam in your house.

  20. Re:Notice! ***CDG CV**** by sjames · · Score: 1

    Now imagine that this CDG works from across the street through the WiFi.

  21. Re:The biggest problem with these robot vaccums... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    Even the cheap 100 euro ones are actually not bad these days, especially if you restrict them to one or two rooms.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  22. Trust issues by bwd777 · · Score: 1

    My vacuum and I shouldn't have trust issues.

  23. Re:Notice! ***CDG CV**** by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

    Except it doesn't, because the WiFi is encrypted. I know, next you are going to say that people are breaking WPA2 left and right because it is super easy, and they will target one of these vacuums when they do because that is the most juicy target. Seriously, get a clue; learn about security landscapes.

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  24. First no, then yes by AlanBDee · · Score: 1

    Any IoT device that is connected to the internet will almost always start with no, they cannot be taken over. But when (not if) an exploit is discovered then it will be possible. It's like Moore's law.

  25. Re:Notice! ***CDG CV**** by sjames · · Score: 1

    Yes, and it's protected by a password. Often the dog's name or the home phone number. Or someone abuses WPS to gain access.

  26. Re: Notice! ***CDG CV**** by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

    I guess you opted out of the opportunity to get a clue.

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  27. Re: Notice! ***CDG CV**** by sjames · · Score: 1

    No, it's just that I have a realistic view of the actual state of security in networks, including those set up by people reading a flip book and people who don't even do that much.

    You seem to be ignorant of the known issues with WPS including common user errors.