Hackers can hijack Unitree humanoid robots via Bluetooth flaw

Security researchers Andreas Markis and Kevin Finnisterre revealed a critical Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) vulnerability affecting Unitree Robotics’ humanoid and quadruped robots, including the Go2, B2, G1, and H1 models. The flaw, dubbed UniPwn, allows attackers to gain root-level wireless access by exploiting hardcoded encryption keys used in the robots’ BLE setup for WiFi configuration. This weakness enables a single compromised robot to infect others within range, effectively creating a self-propagating botnet. Additionally, the G1 robot was found to transmit data to servers in China every five minutes without user notification, raising further privacy and security concerns. The researchers criticized Unitree Robotics for poor communication regarding these vulnerabilities, questioning whether the issues stem from negligence or intentional design flaws. In response, Unitree acknowledged the problems and stated that most fixes have been completed and will be rolled out soon. Experts recommend disabling Bluetooth connectivity and using only WiFi to connect these robots to mitigate risks