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Robotics Business Review – Robotics developers already concerned about security vulnerabilities have another thing to worry about — robot ransomware. Researchers from IOActive today showed a proof-of-concept ransomware attack on two popular service robots — Pepper and NAO — from SoftBank Robotics. They demonstrated the attack at the 2018 Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit in Cancun, Mexico.

The Parallax – CANCÚN, Mexico—“Give me bitcoins now, or prepare to die.” The declaration, a clear reference to the cult classic The Princess Bride, came from an otherwise-friendly Nao robot featured in a video designed to demonstrate that, like their computer predecessors that can’t walk or roll down the street, humanoid robots like SoftBank Robotics’ Nao and Pepper are susceptible to ransomware attacks.

Vice Motherboard – IOActive researchers found that ransomware attackers could force SoftBank Robotics robots to demand money, display porn in public places and cuss out customers. It’s the end of your phone’s annual life cycle and you have decided to go in for an upgrade. You make your way into a local Sprint store where you are warmly greeted by Pepper, a four-foot-tall, humanoid service robot. Pepper welcomes you and asks how it can be of assistance.

Dark Reading – Researchers explore why an attacker would target robots with ransomware, and the implications of what might happen if they did. Robots are in our homes, businesses, schools, and industrial facilities. They’re builders and service workers, healthcare attendants and customer assistants. As robots continue to proliferate in our lives and human-robot interactions grow, so does the potential for cyberattacks.

Hackread – Exploitable Vulnerability in Softbank’s NAO and Pepper Robots Leads to Ransomware Infection. According to the findings of security firm IOActive Labs, there is a vulnerability in Softbank Robotics’ NAO and Pepper robots that can lead to devastating ransomware attacks by causing robots deployed at workplaces to stop working.