Topic / Subject

Many outlets report a tinkerer accidentally gained remote access to data tied to roughly 7,000 DJI Romo robot vacuums due to a backend permissions flaw.

TL;DR

A smart-home authorization bug reportedly exposed thousands of devices beyond one user’s vacuum. DJI says it issued updates after being alerted.

Key Details

Reporting says Sammy Azdoufal found the issue while using AI to build a way to control his DJI Romo with a game controller. The Verge reports the flaw allowed access beyond his own device because of faulty authorization, exposing data from thousands of vacuums (including mapping/sensor-related data). Multiple outlets report DJI issued updates after being notified and said additional security improvements were coming. Public reporting summarizes impact; the full scope depends on DJI’s internal logs and patch timelines.

Breakdown

This is the nightmare version of “smart home convenience”: one permissions mistake can turn a household gadget into a privacy problem at scale.

The reporting hook is wild, a hobby project leads to discovering access that shouldn’t exist. And because robot vacuums can generate maps and other sensor data, the risk isn’t just “someone drives your vacuum.” It’s the broader “what information could be exposed?” question that makes these stories travel.

The encouraging part is the response timeline: outlets report DJI was alerted and pushed updates. The uncomfortable part is that consumers can’t easily verify what was exposed historically without transparency from the company.

Big picture: this is why security basics (authorization, access controls, auditing) matter just as much as the cool features. A device can be “smart” and still be “fragile” if the backend is sloppy.

What to Watch Next

Clearer technical disclosures about what data was accessible and for how long. Whether DJI publishes more detail on mitigations and future security changes. Any follow-up reporting that confirms the flaw is fully closed across all affected services.

Sources

The Verge — DJI Romo flaw let one user access thousands of vacuums

Popular Science — Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 robot vacuums

The Guardian — report

Comment

After stories like this, do you still feel comfortable buying “connected” smart-home devices, or do you prefer gadgets that work offline?