Hackers Physically Control Ecovacs Vacuums in US Cities to Broadcast Racial Slurs

Oct 11, 2024, 07:02 PM

Hackers have taken control of Ecovacs Deebot X2 robot vacuums in multiple US cities over the course of several days, physically manipulating the devices and using their speakers to broadcast racial slurs and obscenities at their owners. This incident has heightened concerns over the security vulnerabilities of internet-connected home appliances, with cybersecurity researchers criticizing Ecovacs' security measures as 'really, really, really, really bad.' Ecovacs, the Chinese manufacturer of the affected devices, has stated that they are working on a security update to address the problem. The hack underscores the potential risks of smart home devices becoming tools for surveillance and harassment.