Researchers found they were able to infect robots with ransomware ; in the real world , such attacks could be highly damaging to businesses if robotic security is n't addressed . Ransomware has long been a headache for PC and smartphone users , but in the future , it could be robots that stop working unless a ransom is paid Attack.Ransom . Researchers at security company IOActive have shown how they managed to hack the humanoid NAO robot made by Softbank and infect one with custom-built ransomware . The researchers said the same attack would work on the Pepper robot too . After the infection , the robot is shown insulting its audience and demanding Attack.Ransom to be 'fed ' bitcoin cryptocurrency in order to restore systems back to normal . While a tiny robot making threats might initially seem amusing -- if a little creepy -- the proof-of-concept attack demonstrates the risks associated with a lack of security in robots and how organisations that employ robots could suddenly see parts of their business grind to a halt should they become a victim of ransomware . `` In order to get a business owner to pay a ransom Attack.Ransom to a hacker , you could make robots stop working . And , because the robots are directly tied to production and services , when they stop working they 'll cause a financial problem for the owner , losing money every second they 're not working , '' Cesar Cerrudo , CTO at IOActive Labs , told ZDNet . Taking what was learned in previous studies into the security vulnerabilities of robots , researchers were able to inject and run code in Pepper and NAO robots and take complete control of the systems , giving them the option to shut the robot down or modify its actions . The researchers said it was possible for an attacker with access to the Wi-Fi network the robot is running on to inject malicious code into the machine . `` The attack can come from a computer or other device that is connected to internet , so a computer gets hacked , and from there , the robot can be hacked since it 's in the same network as the hacked computer , '' said Cerrudo , who conducted the research alongside Lucas Apa , Senior Security Consultant at IOActive . Unlike computers , robots do n't yet store vast amounts of valuable information that the user might be willing to pay a ransom Attack.Ransom to retrieve . But , as companies often do n't have backups to restore systems from , if a robot becomes infected with ransomware , it 's almost impossible for the user to restore it to normal by themselves . If the alternative for a victim of robot ransomware is waiting for a technician to come to fix the robot -- or even losing access it to weeks if it needs to be returned to the manufacturer -- a business owner might view giving into the ransom demand Attack.Ransom as a lesser evil . `` If it 's one robot then it could take less time , but if there are dozens or more , every second they are n't working , the business is losing money . Keeping this in mind , shipping lots of robots takes a lot of time , so the financial impact is bigger when you have a computer compromised with ransomware , '' said Cerrudo . While the robot ransomware infections have been done for the purposes of research -- and presented at the 2018 Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit in Cancun , Mexico -- IOActive warn that if security in robotics is n't properly addressed now , there could be big risks in the near future . `` While we do n't see robots every day , they 're going mainstream soon , businesses worldwide are deploying robots for different services . If we do n't start making robots secure now , if more get out there which are easily hacked , there are very serious consequences , '' said Cerrudo . As with security vulnerabilities the Internet of Things and other products , the solution to this issue is for robotics manufacturers to think about cybersecurity at every step of the manufacturing process from day one . IOActive informed Softbank about the research in January but Cerrudo said : `` We do n't know if they [ Softbank ] are going to fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the issues and when , or even if they can fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the issues with the current design . '' Responding to the IOActive research , a Softbank spokesperson told ZDNet : `` We will continue to improve our security measures on Pepper , so we can counter any risks we may face . ''

The chipmaker says the patches will arrive Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability within a few weeks and AMD device owners shouldn ’ t worry about the reported flaws Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability . AMD is addressing Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability several vulnerabilities discovered Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability in its Ryzen and EPYC chips , and rolling out Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability updates for millions of devices `` in the coming weeks . '' The 13 vulnerabilities came to public Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability attention clouded in controversy . The security company CTS Labs gave AMD less than 24 hours notice before releasing the information to the public . Standard vulnerability disclosure Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability practices call for giving companies at least 90 days ' notice so they can fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the flaws before researchers go public Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability and hackers can start causing trouble . Had CTS Labs given AMD that same courtesy , the issues would have been addressed Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability within a week of the notification . `` Each of the issues cited can be mitigated Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability through firmware patches and a standard BIOS update , which we plan to release Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability in the coming weeks , '' said Sarah Youngbauer , AMD 's senior spokeswoman . `` We believe this provides a good example of why the more standard 90-day notification window for such notifications exist . '' In the original vulnerability report Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability , CTS Labs said that it would take `` several months '' to fix Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability the issues and that some hardware flaws `` cannot be fixed Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability . '' AMD disagreed with that timeline , and said it would provide more information in several weeks . The chipmaker said the issues were not with its hardware , but with firmware , or software that 's embedded in hardware . It 'll be sending Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability fixes for all 13 vulnerabilities through patches and BIOS updates . According to AMD 's technical assessment , each of the flaws required administrative access . `` Any attacker gaining unauthorized administrative access would have a wide range of attacks at their disposal well beyond the exploits identified in this research , '' Papermaster said in a statement . Critics also took issue with another aspect of the CTS Labs report , pointing out the legal disclaimer on the company 's website : `` You are advised that we may have , either directly or indirectly , an economic interest in the performance of the securities of the companies whose products are the subject of our reports . '' Last Wednesday , CTS Labs ' chief financial officer and co-founder , Yaron Luk-Zilberman , a former hedge fund manager , said it did n't have `` any investment ( long or short ) in Intel or AMD . ''