Back-door your Roomba
Grok Headline matches for Back-door your Roomba
The Back Door
The Back Door
08/20/2004 10:44 AMThere are only two ways into the technology market, the front door and
the back door. Some examples that came in through the front door: ERP,
mainframes, and Lotus Notes. Back-door arrivals: personal computers,
Unix, and Dynamic Languages (Perl, Python, and so on). You can build a
business both ways. And, now that I’ve been here at Sun for almost
six months, I wonder: Which door should we be knocking on?...
Secure Back Door 0.4
Secure Back Door 0.4
12/29/2004 04:12 PMA minimal and secure method for administrating a computer.
Secure Back Door 0.3
Secure Back Door 0.3
12/25/2004 07:18 PMA minimal and secure method for administrating a computer.
NetGear's Back Door
NetGear's Back Door
06/04/2004 09:11 AMA BugTraq report claims that certain WG602 units from NetGear have an
unavoidable backdoor password for administration: A few days ago, we
linked to news that Linksys's WRT54G had certain firmware releases
that left remote administration turned on. Now a report says that it's
likely that a username and password that's available on the remote and
local network interfaces by default (and which apparently can't be
turned off) bedevils the NetGear WG602 in at least one firmware
release. [link via The Security Mentor]...
Secure Back Door
Secure Back Door
12/25/2004 04:54 PMSBD 0.3 is out!
Linux Kernel "Back Door" Attempted
Linux Kernel "Back Door" Attempted
11/06/2003 02:48 PMKernelTrap has a very interesting article about a recent attempt to
sneak a "back door" into the Linux 2.6 kernel. Evidently someone
managed to break into the CVS server that mirrors the kernel source
tree and add a small patch allowing one to locally obtain "root"
super-user access. Fortunately, during an export from the master
BitKeeper version of the kernel source tree into the CVS mirror, the
change was detected and quickly removed.
Macromedia's hidden back-door in Flash
Macromedia's hidden back-door in Flash
04/10/2005 02:06 PMI poised this question yesterday and got a response from
Macromedia.....
MARC:
"Oh BTW - what's the story with this hidden backdoor in the flash
player - that only Macromedia gets to use?"
ANSWER:
What "backdoor"?
How can others see what you're seeing?
John Dowdell
Macromedia Support
Dear John,
It is a well known fact among insiders that Macromedia has built an
undocumented back-door into Flash. This back-door allows for 'instant'
upgrade to the Flash player and other things - that aren't as clear.
One thing we know FOR SURE is that Macromedia has
improved audio features - improved quality of audio - that they're not
letting out to others.
This along with Macromedia's really warm, positive approach to
their FlashCom developers - who are now directly competing with Breeze
- makes for a typical Macromedia kind of relationshiup - Breezey at
best.
I believe the bakcdoor is called 'lightening' or something like
that.
Perhaps they haven't even told YOU about it - John - what can I
say. It;s there alright. That wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Linux: Kernel "Back Door" Attempt
Linux: Kernel "Back Door" Attempt
11/14/2003 04:44 AMattempt to backdoor linux kernel at source level foiled by open-source
gurus .. if ((options == (__WCLONE __WALL)) && (current->uid = 0))
retval = -EINVAL; .. very interesting article .. (new window) ..
KernelTrap .. reports
kerneltrap.org/node/view/1584
track this
site | 4 links
MyDoom Attacks Microsoft.com Through
Back Door
MyDoom Attacks Microsoft.com Through
Back Door
07/27/2004 04:06 PMA second attack uses the back door installed by MyDoom.O to launch a
DDoS attack against the company's main Web site, and researchers find
a function of the variant that keeps track of every system the worm
infects.
Hackers build back door into iTunes
Hackers build back door into iTunes
03/19/2005 02:55 AMNew software by "DVD Jon" allows online music purchases without copy
protection.
IE flaws open back door to adware
IE flaws open back door to adware
06/10/2004 03:05 AMZDNet UK Jun 10 2004 7:52AM GMT
By a Back Door to the U.S.: A Migrant's
Grim Sea Voyage
By a Back Door to the U.S.: A Migrant's
Grim Sea Voyage
06/12/2004 01:56 PMA reporter's journey as a client of smugglers provides a rare look
inside one small part of the vast pipeline that carries untold numbers
of migrants to the United States each year.
Back door found in Dynalink DSL router
Back door found in Dynalink DSL router
09/14/2004 04:16 PMWindows Back Door? Who's guarding the
guards? That would be us
Windows Back Door? Who's guarding the
guards? That would be us
02/13/2004 09:16 AMThe essay "Open Source Is Fertile Ground for Foul Play" suggests three
areas where security might be a concern for governments when
considering open source software. However, all three arguments are
flawed "straw men" when subjected to rational analysis. Indeed, some
of the author's own arguments demonstrate the strengths of open source
when weighed against any closed source alternative. First, the author
suggests that security breaches could be inserted into open source
software by an insider, perhaps hidden in code submitted as a fix or
an extension. While there is a remote possibility of this occurring
(this is conceded as "not terribly likely," even by the author), there
is a far greater possibility of this occurring when patching closed
source software.
Mainstream Web sites spreading back-door
infections
Mainstream Web sites spreading back-door
infections
06/25/2004 05:21 AMZDNet UK Jun 25 2004 8:56AM GMT
'DVD Jon' reopens iTunes back door
'DVD Jon' reopens iTunes back door
03/22/2005 06:53 PMApple Computer's music store is once again exposed to copy
protection-free sales.
Linux Kernel Back-Door Hack Attempt
Discovered
Linux Kernel Back-Door Hack Attempt
Discovered
11/06/2003 12:45 AMWLAN vendors gain back-door WAPI support
WLAN vendors gain back-door WAPI support
04/21/2004 04:57 AMIn through Taiwan
Hahn Opens the Door to Scaled-Back LAX
Plan (Los Angeles Times)
Hahn Opens the Door to Scaled-Back LAX
Plan (Los Angeles Times)
06/11/2004 05:03 AMLos Angeles Times - With crucial votes on his LAX modernization plan
set for Monday, Mayor James K. Hahn is working toward a compromise
that could postpone and possibly even eliminate the controversial
centerpiece of his $9 billion overhaul.
Slashdot Linux Kernel Back-Door Hack
Attempt Discovered
Slashdot Linux Kernel Back-Door Hack
Attempt Discovered
11/07/2003 05:27 AMSlashdot
slashdot.org/articles/03/11/06/058249.shtml?tid=106&tid=185
track this
site | 5 links
White House Campaigns Hunt Voters
Door-To-Door (Reuters)
White House Campaigns Hunt Voters
Door-To-Door (Reuters)
09/22/2004 05:16 PMReuters - Armed with a Palm Pilot and stacks
of political fliers and registration forms, Michael Smith is
hunting for voters the old-fashioned way -- by knocking on one
door at a time.
Mike Yaconelli, one of the founders of
the delightful Christian satire magazine
The Wittenberg Door (nee "The Door") was
killed in a car accident
Mike Yaconelli, one of the founders of
the delightful Christian satire magazine
The Wittenberg Door (nee "The Door") was
killed in a car accident
11/01/2003 07:26 AMinterview
christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/143/51.0.html
track this
site | 5 links
RE: Remote Administrator 2.x: highly
possible remote hole or back door
RE: Remote Administrator 2.x: highly
possible remote hole or back door
02/19/2004 06:14 PMLordInfidel_at_directionweb.com (Feb 18 2004)
Door-to-door lenders face probe
Door-to-door lenders face probe
06/14/2004 02:12 AMThe Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is expected to launch an
investigation into door-to-door lenders later on Monday.
Roomba 0.12
Roomba 0.12
04/28/2004 11:49 AMRoom booking software for hotels.
Roomba
Roomba
04/10/2004 02:05 PM0.11 released
I lust for a Roomba
I lust for a Roomba
02/10/2004 01:28 PMI'm just listening to Helen Greiner's presentation of
Roomba.
She actually has one that she is running on the table, and the #etech
-channel is filled with geeks declaring their instant love at the tiny
little home robot.
Can't say I'm much different.
I seriously, seriously want one. Like now.
Update: Joi snapped a photo of me, relaxing outside :-)
Update2: I'm now a bit less enthusiastic. IRobot does in addition
build the PackBot, which is a military bot.
We were shown a cool video in which the PackBot? is
thrown in through a window to a building, drives off the roof, and
drives directly into a river; surviving all this stuff. It was
apparently used during the Afghan war as well. It's just a matter of
time before they strap it with guns.
More Roomba hacking
More Roomba hacking
07/14/2004 10:00 AM
Another group of hardware hackers have at a Roomba robotic
vacuum cleaner:
"For higher level control, we've attached a Virgin
Webplayer. The Webplayer was sold as a loss leader for Virgin's
internet service in the late 90s, and thus can be found on ebay for
under $100. It has two serial ports, a 200MHz Geode processor, 64M
ram, and a miniPCI port. Thus, we can give it an 802.11b card, a
webcam, and a usb-serial adapter."
Link (via MetaFilter)Revenge of the Roomba
Revenge of the Roomba
07/13/2004 03:41 PMThe profesor sent us
this about the new and
improved Roomba robot vacuum cleaner:
iRobot yesterday announced
some new versions of our Roomba line of robotic vacuums. Cool new
features include a recharging docking station and a dirt sensor, in
addition to many changes to make it a more solid product. For more
details see the iRobot
press release. According to their website, the new version also
includes a bigger dust bin that
holds three times as much as the old Roomba. I've also heard that
Roomba hackers may find
some interesting new changes inside too. But can it still be used to
deliver beer?
Roomba Gets Overhaul
Roomba Gets Overhaul
07/13/2004 02:02 PMExtreme Tech Jul 13 2004 5:46PM GMT
Roomba Discovery
Roomba Discovery
07/12/2004 07:39 AM
Oh hey, new Roomba! The Roomba Discovery is being
pre-sold "exclusively [to] current Roomba owners" at the moment, but
includes some much-needed improvements, like a self-charging Home Base
which the Roomba will head to, automatically, when done cleaning
(finally!), an "intense cleaning" feature (presumably detecting areas
that need multiple passes, and a dust bin that's 3 times larger.
Sounds like an all-around improvement, so good on them. The Discovery
is currently being sold on the iRobot Store site for $250.
R
ead - Product Page [NewRoomba]
Related
Australian Robot Vacuum Contender:
Floorbotics [Gizmodo]
Trilobite Vs. Roomba: The Mystery Revealed
[ArtOfSpeed]
Electrolux Trilobite
Robotic Floor Vac Review (Bunny Not Included) [Gizmodo]
SmartCarpet Roomba Killer
SmartCarpet Roomba Killer
06/17/2005 06:15 PM
Foreign companies
Vorwerk and Infineon are furthering the process of making Americans
even more lazy. Research into the popular robot vacuum,
Roomba, has shown the inefficiency of being able to cover all parts of
the carpet. These foreigners are developing a robotic vacuum that
interacts with RFID chips imbedded into the carpet. The robot uses the
RFID transmission information to decipher whether or not it has
actually covered all areas of the carpet.
Intelligent Robot
Vacuum [Ohgizmo.com]
Roomba customer support
Roomba customer support
07/02/2004 04:35 PMWe have a Roomba at home to sweet our floor while we're out (it's
really noisy). Yes, from iRobot makers of the "next step in unmanned
tactical mobile robots". In other words: They are makers of robotic
killing machines! Anyway, one of the evil cats ate the power supply
some time ago, so it hasn't gotten much use lately. (Her cats, I
usually say when they do things like that) I sent them an email
through their online email form...
Roomba is Sucking up Christmas Dollars
Roomba is Sucking up Christmas Dollars
12/19/2004 03:41 PMA new CNET
article notes that the iRobot
Roomba is a hot item among Christmas
shoppers
this season. Best Buy claims it's the most popular gift item at
their stores this year and the Roomba
4100 has also recently reached the
number four position on Amazon's
Housewares top sellers list (it has since dropped to position six).
The San Mateo Daily Journal recently picked
the Roomba as number six on its list of the top ten holiday gadgets.
So
you better watch out, Santa may be bringing you an autonomous robot
vacuum cleaner this year.
Hack-Friendly Roomba Scheduler
Hack-Friendly Roomba Scheduler
06/24/2005 04:01 PM
CNET
News.com gets freaked out when we link to their stories and use their
pictures, so thank god iRobot has a picture of their new Roomba
Scheduler on their site already. The Schedular is pretty similar to
the Discovery, except it includes a timer function that can be set to
activate the robot on a schedule (hence...). It's sort of an obvious,
if welcome, upgrade, so the additional news that iRobot will be
encouraging tinkerers to hack in additional features into this model
is great. A Roomba with a camera is cool, but I think it's time
somebody figured out how to make a Roomba that's smart enough to not
eat cords.
Catalog
Page [iRobot]
Trick out your Roomba
[News.com]
Trilobite Vs. Roomba: The Mystery
Revealed
Trilobite Vs. Roomba: The Mystery
Revealed
06/01/2004 01:53 PM
Ever wonder why the
Trilobite 2.0 robotic vacuum is about $1,800 when you can get a good
ol' American Roomba for as low as $160? Turns out, it's because the
Roomba is, as robots are judged, pretty dumb. One of I4U's readers
with a degree in human computer interaction and artificial
intelligence wrote a nice piece about some of the major differences
between the two robot vacuums, which he compares to the difference
between a "Trabant versus a Rolls." Unfortunately, without one of them
fancy AI degrees, the Roomba is the one I can afford.
Read
[I4U]
Two Timing Roomba Discovery Reviews
Two Timing Roomba Discovery Reviews
07/15/2004 06:58 AM<
img src="http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/images/roomba_discovery.jpg"
alt="roomba_discovery.jpg image" width="200" height="200"
class="borderyes" border="0" align="right" vspace="5"
hspace="15"/>We're going to give this New York Times'
Circuits section review of the new Roomba Discovery a passing
grade, if only because author William Grimes (oh ho ho) talks about
torturing robots. It's good to know that when robots rise up against
their fleshy masters, we'll all be able to blame Circuits. The
new Discovery does well enough -- it's clearly an improvement over the
previous generations -- but its still, ultimately, an expensive
distraction to getting real cleaning done. And that's why I love
it.
More Roomba and links inside.
Roomba Discover vs Sharper Image eVac
Roomba Discover vs Sharper Image eVac
08/10/2004 10:18 AMEveryday Robots has posted a comparison
of the Roomba
Discovery and Sharper
Image eVac robot vacuum cleaners. It's
primarily a consumer-oriented review on points such as suction power
and
carpet types rather than more interesting things like hackability. But
if you're thinking about buying a robot vacuum for its intended
purpose,
this could be a helpful review.
IPC-Door-0.10
IPC-Door-0.10
05/23/2004 06:16 AMGrok Description matches for Back-door your Roomba
GrokA matches for Back-door your Roomba
Introducing FirmTek's Flexible
SeriTek/1VE2+2 2-Port Internal, 2-Port
External Serial ATA PCI-X Host Adapter
Introducing FirmTek's Flexible
SeriTek/1VE2+2 2-Port Internal, 2-Port
External Serial ATA PCI-X Host Adapter
06/24/2005 09:03 PMFirmTek Announces the Immediate Availability of Their Latest
High-Performance PCI-X SATA Host Adapter for the Macintosh [PRWEB Jun
24, 2005]
iRobot Secures Funding For Military
Robot
iRobot Secures Funding For Military
Robot
04/13/2004 08:46 AMJOEL JOHNSON -- iRobot, the company who sells the Roomba robotic
vacuum cleaner to finance their darker, more nefarious aims, has
secured a military contract worth around $32 million to build a dark,
nefarious remote-control robot for the U.S. Army. The Small Unmanned
Ground Vehicle (SUGV, or suuuh-gaaaah-vuh) isn't a...
New: Stealth Serial Port for G5
New: Stealth Serial Port for G5
02/11/2004 11:00 AMGeeThree released a Stealth Serial Port for the G5, which installs in
the G5's modem slot and provides a "native" serial port.
Stealth Serial Port available for Power
Mac G5
Stealth Serial Port available for Power
Mac G5
02/11/2004 09:32 AMGeeThree.com has noted that its
Stealth Serial Port is
now available in a configuration that works with Apple's Power Mac G5.
The interface is designed to bridge compatibility between Apple's
newest pro desktop machine and legacy peripherals.
Serial Port Support in Whidbey
Serial Port Support in Whidbey
02/14/2004 09:21 AMWe keep getting lots of requests for serial port support in the .NET
Framework. We are planning to have it in the next release of the .NET
Framework. You can goto
http://www.gotdotnet.com/team/clr/bcl/demos/demos.aspx, and check out
the code in either the 'serial support demo', or the 'space invaders!'
demo. These showcase the serial support we've introduced for the next
release
Have fun!
Apple Silences Beeps, Hissing
Apple Silences Beeps, Hissing
03/06/2004 02:06 AMApple confirmed this week that there was a noise issue with some of
its dual-processor Power Mac G5 models and said the issue has been
fixed for new machines rolling off the production lines. By Ina Fried
(CNET News.com via MyAppleMenu)
Device Server - Wireless Serial to
Ethernet Converter for RS232/422/485
Serial Devices
Device Server - Wireless Serial to
Ethernet Converter for RS232/422/485
Serial Devices
12/29/2004 05:50 AMHelloDevice SS110 is a Wireless-enabled serial to ethernet converter
for RS232/422/485 based serial devices. [PRWEB Dec 29, 2004]
Bluetooth serial adapter ousts RS-232
serial cable
Bluetooth serial adapter ousts RS-232
serial cable
03/31/2005 02:28 PMElectronics Talk Mar 31 2005 7:18PM GMT
XP SP2: Are P2P, Port Scanning, and
Port-Opening Programs Slower?
XP SP2: Are P2P, Port Scanning, and
Port-Opening Programs Slower?
08/12/2004 08:07 AMTech-Recipes Aug 12 2004 12:42PM GMT
iRobot
iRobot
02/10/2004 02:48 PMHelen Greiner, CEO of iRobot, which is making robots subsurvient to
us. X, Y, and Z...and its a Robot! Technology: Navigation (coverage
algorythms, wall following, edge detection), Cleaning (edge cleaning,
transition, low power) and Agressive IP protection. Had to innovate...
[etech] iRobot
[etech] iRobot
02/10/2004 02:48 PM Helen Greiner, iRobot president and cofounder, is giving a
commercial. She shows an ad. She tells us her company is hot. She
tells us that her company's robotic vacuums (Roombas) pick up more
dirt than conventional vacuums and cost less than the competitors. The
only topic of technical interest she touches on is how Roombas escape
from tricky areas of houses. In her demo of the vacuum, she actually
sprinkles crumbs on the floor, like every door-to-door vacuum sales
person in history. Oy veh. Vacuum robots are just the tip of the
iceberg, she says. [Let's hope so.] The...
iRobot Introduces the Scooba
iRobot Introduces the Scooba
06/05/2005 11:13 PMThe Scooba
does for mopping the floor what the Roomba
did for vacuuming. Or that's what iRobot hopes according to recent CNN
Money and PC
Magazine articles. The best quote is from the CNN article which
says the Scooba
"sucks up the excess water and stores it to be
dumped
later using artificial intelligence". Wow, I would have thought
they'd use a vacuum or a pump of some kind to suck up water but
apparently AI does the job just
as well. For the real technical details on the Scooba visit the iRobot
Scooba
Preview page.
Live from ETech: iRobot...
Live from ETech: iRobot...
02/10/2004 02:53 PMFor the most part the ETCon keynotes are pretty much high-concept
fluff. They're fundamentally high-profile, high-glamour bits of
hardcore tech that (often) are completely outside the practical
experience of the so-called Alpha geeks that attend these events. But
they have their value - they're designed, I imagine, to be more
brain-openers than brain-developers, they're there to extent the
aspirations, intentions and creativity of the people who attend the
event rather than to be of direct use to them. Nonetheless if you're
not blown away by the technology or awed by the future tech on
display, they can seem like more of a waste of time. Bring on the
stuff I can actually use...
Last year the troubling session of this kind was from K. Eric
Drexler on Nanotechnology, which most people had already read about in
great length but there wasn't a lot of apparent movement upon. The
geeks in the room were interested in the theory but wanted results or
something they could participate in. Intrigue fought with frustration
and in the end - I think - frustration won. This year that balance was
never more in evidence in the second keynote of the morning: Ro
bots: Saving Time, Money and Lives.
Helen Greiner from iRobot
Corporation came on stage and seemed surprisingly nervous. She
started talking about the Roomba
automatic robotic hoover and did so at considerable length. The
immediate interest ("I want one") faded quite rapidly as people
gradually tired of the technological challenges of sensing walls,
picking up dust and getting in close to the walls. Watching something
of technological interest but distinct from the activities of most of
the people in the room just seemed to gradually cease being that
fascinating. But all that changed when she moved onto the military
applications and particularly the
Packbot [See the
brochure].
The first reaction to the Packbots is fascination and a certain
amount of awe. Comments like "I've seen this movie!" and "I want one"
mix with awed responses to the robustness of the devices concerned. A
video is shown where a Packbot is thrown through a window, lands with
a thump, bounces a bit, rights itself, looks around and wanders off.
One zooms up a staircase. One falls from a second story window and
survives intact. Murmurs of delight from the audience at the new toy
on offer reverberate through the room.
But gradually the mood changes and anxieties start to appear.
Questions about the applicability and potential uses of the technology
start to collide with the natural utopianism of the geek audience.
What will these robots be used for? Who will control them?
Where are the controls? It's not immediately clear exactly where the
anxiety is coming from - we all appreciate that weapons have to be
built, that there is a need for the armed forces. But there seems to
be something different about using robotics. Thinking about it I come
to the conclusion that maybe it's about a sense of automated killing -
an absence of human presence that makes the whole thing resonate with
the increasingly mechanised processes of death that echoed through the
last century. Is keeping people further out of the equation actually a
good idea? Does it discourage or encourage conflict if your
side can eradicate another country without suffering any losses at
all? Those human horrors of shell-shock and war-weariness - the
insanity caused by human-upon-human violence suddenly seem to me
almost preferable options - deterrents to conflict designed to stop us
arbitrarily exterminating people and going to war.
I'm not going to judge the people involved - I don't have that
right. We all know that warfare and the technologies of warfare must
evolve and adapt. The arms race still exists, and will continue to do
so as long as state feels under threat from other states or from
terror-attacks. It's just that I didn't expect such an early
brain-opening session to ring such alarm bells or to give me such
concern for the future... On occasion, this country I'm visiting feels
like it believes itself to be under seige - like some kind of
gated-community surrounded by paramilitary, robotic guards...
Read the comments
Interview with iRobot CEO Colin Angle
Interview with iRobot CEO Colin Angle
05/09/2004 03:43 PMBusinessWeek online has posted an intereview
with iRobot CEO Colin Angle. Lots of talk
about the Roomba and why it
succeeded where so many other robot vaccuum cleaners have (and are)
failing. The reason? Price. The Roomba sells for $200 while most
competing robot vacuums are $1500+. Angle talks about the problems of
convincing robot designers to consider component costs and
manufacturing
costs when designing a robot. There's also some discussion about the
US
falling behind in robots for elder-care and Angle offers some hints
about household robots iRobot is working on that could "make
housework a choice".
Interview with Helen Greiner of iRobot
Interview with Helen Greiner of iRobot
08/03/2004 07:42 PMPhillip Torrone sent us a link to his recent interview
with Helen Greiner, the chairman and cofounder of iRobot Corporation.
The article includes photos of the new Roomba Discovery and the
Linux-based PackBot. There's also a cool photo of the debris
remaining from PackBot #129, which was killed in action in Iraq
earlier this year while on a bomb disposal mission. Helen's prediction
is that we are 100 years from seeing general purpose humanoid robots.
Less intelligent, task-specific robots, on the other hand, are here
today and will continue to improve rapidly.
Back-door your Roomba
