Episode 254: Dennis Giese’s Revolutionary Robot Vacuum Liberation Movement

In this Security Ledger Podcast (#254), I speak with Dennis Giese, an independent security researcher and world-renowned IoT device hacker. Dennis is famous for his investigations into the workings of robot vacuum cleaners made by firms like iRobot, Roborock, Dreame and Shark. In this conversation, Dennis and I talk about the evolution of vacuums into smart, autonomous robots bristling with cameras and microphones and capable of collecting reams of data about you and your surroundings. He also talks about his mission to liberate robot vacuums from the control of their manufacturers, letting owners tinker with their own devices and – importantly – hold on to the data they collect. [Video Podcast] | [MP3] | [Transcript] In this week’s episode, we’re speaking with the independent security researcher and IoT hacker Dennis Giese. Dennis is one of the foremost researchers exploring the security of connected devices- in particular: robot vacuum cleaners. In fact, he spoke at this year’s DEF CON conference in August about his work on Vacuum Robot Security and Privacy – and how to prevent your robot from sucking your personal data away.  Forget the IoT. Meet the IoZ: our Internet of Zombie things Dennis Giese is a Ph.D student at Northeastern University in Boston. I reached out to Dennis this fall after I realized that he was in Boston, where he’s been pursuing his PhD at Northeastern University. We met for coffee in Harvard Square, Cambridge, soon after, and I asked him to come on the show – an invitation he graciously accepted.  Wanted: Smart Device Liberation I really wanted to talk to Dennis because one of the things that I’m really interested in and focused on these days is the intersection between security research and what I consider the larger project of smart device “liberation.”(See my August podcast with Colin O’Flynn about his work reprogramming a wonky electric oven.) Episode 241: If Its Smart, Its Vulnerable a Conversation with Mikko Hyppönen As software worms its way onto pretty much every type of modern appliance, consumers have benefitted from amazing features. But software and always-on Internet connectivity have also enabled abusive practices, such as mass, commercial surveillance of consumers and de-facto monopolies on things like service and repair. Today, your Internet connected car is collecting gigabytes of data every hour of operation about your movements, driving behaviors, associations and even – possibly – your conversations. It’s sending that data off to cloud-based systems owned and operated by automakers, which use that data to…well…nobody really knows.