Hi-Tech

Ransomware for robots is the next big security nightmare

March 10, 2018 14:59·
Researchers Robots Vulnerable to Ransomware

Researchers Robots Vulnerable to Ransomware

It's coming for robots, too.

The first warning was based on research that found that because many robots use multicast DNS to advertise their presence on the network, it is relatively easy to find a robot's host name. In a video demo, a retail robot switched from being helpful and polite to malicious and demanding the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

This new research on robotic ransomware builds on the original research that Apa conducted with Cerrudo, CTO at IOActive, in 2017, during which they discovered nearly 50 vulnerabilities in robots from various robot technology suppliers.

The team also noted a hacked robot's potential ability to steal stored data, say curse words, or display controversial content such as pornography if it has a screen. But as companies often don't have backups to restore systems from, if a robot becomes infected with ransomware, it's nearly impossible for the user to restore it to normal by themselves.

As robots become increasingly commonplace, from smart speakers like Amazon Echo to manufacturing plants, it's a reminder of the threats that could disrupt our lives.

In IOActive's case, the ransomware installation required the same Wi-Fi network as the robot.

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The experiment followed IOActive's work past year that discovered 50 vulnerabilities in robots manufactured by a number of vendors, including SoftBank Robotics.

While a tiny robot making threats might initially seem amusing - if a little creepy - the proof-of-concept attack demonstrates the risks associated with a lack of security in robots and how organisations which employ robots could suddenly see parts of their business grind to a halt should they become a victim of ransomware.

IOActive said researchers alerted SoftBank Robotics to the security issues in January 2017, but the company has not yet fixed the flaws. The robotics firm did not respond to a request for comment.

"Knowing that, we made a decision to conduct a proof-of-concept ransomware attack on the Nao robot, leveraging vulnerabilities we uncovered in our prior research in 2017". "If robot vendors don't act quickly, ransomware attacks on robots could cripple businesses worldwide". At large corporations, the cost can be even higher.

As a result of the attack, which shut down systems at hospitals across the country, ambulances were redirected and many services were forced to operate on an emergency-only basis.

Although the IOActive research didn't harm a business or consumer, it's an example of the potential issues of robots and connected devices. "And because the robots are directly tied to production and services, when they stop working they'll cause a financial problem for the owner, losing money every second they're not working", Cesar Cerrudo, CTO at IOActive Labs, told ZDNet.

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