Manufacturer issues remote kill command to disable smart vacuum after engineer blocks it from collecting data — user revives it with custom hardware and Python scripts to run offline
An engineer discovered that the manufacturer can remotely brick his smart vacuum for not collecting data.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/manufacturer-issues-remote-kill-command-to-nuke-smart-vacuum-after-engineer-blocks-it-from-collecting-data-user-revives-it-with-custom-hardware-and-python-scripts-to-run-offlineOpen linkView original on piefed.zip274
Comments23
It doesn't appear that anything is being done about this. I imagine there are many more devices pulling similar shit (sending personal data they collect back to their data centers without consent)... It just bothers me that there's doesn't seem to be any pushback whatsoever in cases like this. Not that i need or use a robot vac but I'm sure this type of data collection is hardly limited to them
Even worse still, if you don’t allow them this intrusive data, they remotely brick the device you own.
There needs to be a law stating companies MUST notify you that "this product won't work if data collection is disabled" on the outside of the box
Lol sure, "let them do whatever they want but it should be ILLEGAL not to write it on the box!"
No no, I absolutely agree that shit like this shouldn't be allowed in the first place. But the issue is most people I've met genuinely do not care. They are okay with the amount of data being collected by their corporate overlords.
At the very least stating that a product won't work if it isn't connected to the internet allows consumers who do give a shit to know what type of product they're dealing with.
Corporate execs ought to go to prison for that.
s/prison/the guillotine/
Something has already been done about this: https://valetudo.cloud/
The "iLife" robot in the article is based on the 3irobotix CRL-200S, a "white label" unit that a bunch of brands sold as their own, up to and including Xiaomi, Viomi, Conga, Cecotec, Proscenic, and even Wyze. I have the Wyze version (the only one sold in the US), which will be getting Valetudo, but I kinda bricked it while attempting to root it. Luckily the motherboards are cheap, I picked up a "new" one for $15. Just waiting for it to show up.
It's a tidal wave. It's very hard to stop. The wave consists of about a trillion variables all pointing in the wrong direction.
Guys just help project valetudo and flash custom software on ur vaccum cleaner to make it autonomous and working under ur control.
https://valetudo.cloud/
iAmYourLife
I don't clean.
Why didn't he just use DNS spoofing?
Why do it the easy way, when you can do it the fun way?
"we didn't do it because it was easy, but because we though it would be easy"
And then we got angry because it didn't work and worked on it until 3am.
I too, read art of war
Is it from there, I got it from r/programmerHumor (equally as destiguished imo /s)
It is not.
To quote the inventor of the Steam Brick:
Kill who? Thats my question.
Hey, it was my turn for the repost!