Researchers: Robot ecosystem rife with security vulnerabilities

Robots from a variety of manufacturers are the latest network-connected product that researchers say are vulnerable to a bevy of attacks. 

The security firm IOActive tested humanoid robots from several major manufacturers, including SoftBank and Ubtech, as well as industrial robots from Universal Robotics. For the purposes of their study, robots were defined as devices with programmable appendages.

{mosads}IOActive found more than 50 common vulnerabilities throughout the ecosystem, including poor authentication practices, unshielded communications and the use of a nonsecure operating system known as the Robot Operating System. 

IOActive is currently working with the manufacturers to fix the problems and has not announced which problems go with which robots. 

Humanoid robots are often used as companionship devices, meant to blur the line between toy and pet. They have also been proposed to have uses as healthcare and customer attendants. In all of these uses, hacked robots could be used to cause physical destruction.