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Engineer Accidentally Gains Access to 7,000 Robot Vacuums Across 24 Countries
Security·Popular Science / The Verge·1 min read

Engineer Accidentally Gains Access to 7,000 Robot Vacuums Across 24 Countries

Software engineer Sammy Azdoufal was trying to steer his new DJI Romo robot vacuum with a PlayStation 5 controller when he stumbled onto a massive security flaw. Using an AI coding assistant to reverse-engineer how the vacuum talked to DJI's cloud servers, he extracted a security token meant for his device — but DJI's backend treated it as valid for nearly 7,000 vacuums in 24 countries. He could access live camera feeds, microphones, and 2D floor maps of strangers' homes. Azdoufal responsibly disclosed the bug to The Verge, which contacted DJI. The company says it has since fixed the vulnerability. The incident highlights how the rush to connect home robots to the cloud is creating serious privacy and security gaps — especially as more capable humanoid robots start entering homes.

DJIRobot VacuumSecurityPrivacySmart HomeVulnerability
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·MIT Technology Review
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Industry

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·Semafor
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·CNBC / Intrinsic