The US Division of Homeland Safety has unveiled a dog-like robotic that it says has been tailored to jam the connectivity of sensible dwelling units.
The DHS’s buy of “NEO,” developed by Ghost Robotics, was introduced to attendees throughout a speech on the Border Safety Expo in Texas, in keeping with a report by 404 Media, and is meant to overload dwelling networks with a lot visitors that IoT units will probably be successfully disabled.
“NEO can enter a doubtlessly harmful setting to offer video and audio suggestions to the officers earlier than entry and permit them to speak with these in that setting,” Benjamine Huffman, the director of DHS’s Federal Regulation Enforcement Coaching Facilities, informed convention attendees. “NEO carries an onboard laptop and antenna array that can enable officers the flexibility to create a ‘denial-of-service’ (DoS) occasion to disable Web of Issues units that might doubtlessly trigger hurt whereas entry is made.”
In brief, NEO is extra of a DoS than a canine. Arf arf.
The canine-like robotic’s Wi-Fi-jamming functionality was apparently first conceived after a suspect in a baby sexual abuse investigation used his IoT doorbell digicam to spy on FBI brokers at his entrance door, able to serve a search warrant. The resident used a weapon to shoot useless two brokers via the closed entrance door, and injure three extra.
It is simple to see the attraction of utilizing a robotic like NEO – it might probably carry out surveillance, communication, and be deployed in conditions the place legislation enforcement officers is perhaps liable to harm or encountering booby-traps.
After all, the police would must be cautious to make sure that any robotic they deployed is programmed to not assault frequencies that they themselves are utilizing.
And we now have to hope that such wireless-jamming know-how is not utilized by anybody for malicious functions.
If you happen to’re nervous about somebody jamming your wi-fi sensible dwelling units, whether or not you’re prone to be visited by a robotic canine or not, then your finest plan of action could also be to make use of old style hardwired units as an alternative.
Breathe a sigh of aid that, for now, the DHS doesn’t look like planning any home calls with rifle-toting robotic canine.