WIRED recently demonstrated how to cheat at poker by hacking the Deckmate 2 card shufflers used in casinos. The mob was allegedly using the same trick to fleece victims for millions. Security researcher Joseph Tartaro demonstrates how he can insert a hacking device into a USB on the back of the shuffler that alters its code, then transmits the deck's order via Bluetooth to a phone app. The Deckmate 2 automatic card shufflers used in casinos, cardhouses, and high-end private poker games around the world are designed to shuffle a deck in seconds with perfect, computer-generated randomness, vastly speeding up play. They're also, amazingly, sold with a camera inside that can observe every card in the deck before it's dealt--a fact that's become very convenient for poker-cheating hackers and, allegedly, members of the Cosa Nostra mafia.

Researchers at security firm IOActive have successfully conducted a ransomware attack on a SoftBank Robotics NAO humanoid robot. Designed for schools and businesses, NAO and its more popular sibling Pepper are robots equipped with microphones and cameras. They're typically used in classrooms, retail stores, and offices for customer assistance. After installing ransomware on the robot, the security firm was able to get it to demand bitcoin. The researchers could modify system files and the robot's behavior, such as forcing it to say threatening messages.

Due to robotics' interactions with humans, one might expect all possible care would be taken to ensure the devices are digitally secure; however, that appears not to be the case. In the introduction to their paper Hacking Robots Before Skynet (PDF), authors Cesar Cerrudo, CTO at IOActive, and Lucas Apa, Senior Security Consultant at IOActive, write, "Similar to other new technologies, we've found robot technology to be insecure in a variety of ways, and that insecurity could pose serious threats to the people, animals, and organizations they operate in and around." Add the explosive growth of robotic devices to the potential for serious harm, and one begins to understand why Cerrudo and Apa are concerned. SEE: Robots in warehouses to jump 15X over next 4 years, but won't take all the jobs (TechRepublic) As to how Cerrudo and Apa determined whether robotic devices are insecure, they employed IOActive's hacking experts to build cyberattack tools geared for robot ecosystems. "A robot ecosystem is comprised of the physical robot, an operating system, firmware, software, mobile/remote control applications, vendor Internet services, cloud services, and networks," write the two authors.

During a surprise appearance at HBO's Westworld panel at South by Southwest, Elon Musk again expressed his fear of artificial intelligence (AI). "I'm really quite close, very close to the cutting edge in AI. It scares the hell out of me," Musk said. "It's capable of vastly more than almost anyone on Earth, and the rate of improvement is exponential." He added, "I think the danger of AI is much bigger than the danger of nuclear warheads by a lot. Nobody would suggest we allow the world to just build nuclear warheads if they want, that would be insane. And mark my words: AI is far more dangerous than nukes."

If you thought typical cyberattacks were scary, think again. Security researchers have discovered a new vulnerability in popular robots that allows hackers to manipulate how the robots talk, move and process information. Using a ransomware attack, cybercriminals can make robots angrily demand bitcoin as ransom for personal data, display hardcore porn and even insult you with curse words. The ransomware can be used to compromise both of SoftBank's humanoid robots, Pepper and NAO. Research firm IOActive discovered that popular humanoid robots like SoftBank's Pepper (pictured) and NAO are susceptible to ransomware attacks that control what they say and do For the study titled'Robots want bitcoin too', researchers from security firm IOActive installed malware on a two-foot-tall NAO Robot which changed the device from its usual, childlike nature to a menacing burglar.

Last month, cybersecurity firm IOActive let everyone know that Segway MiniPro hoverboards were vulnerable to hacks and outside control via their Bluetooth connections. Now it has revealed that industrial robots from Universal Robots and consumer models from Softbank Group and UBTech Robotics also have some troubling security flaws that can allow hackers to "modify safety settings, violating applicable safety laws and, consequently, causing physical harm to the robot's surroundings by moving it arbitrarily," according to a report published by the company today. The devices produced by Universal Robots are uncaged industrial robots meant to work with humans. Safety features are put in place to make sure working alongside the robots is safe for humans, but IOActive was able to override those features after hacking into the software. The company told Bloomberg that with these robots, "even running at low speeds, their force is more than sufficient to cause a skull fracture."

Security firm IOActive tested 12 devices made for the home, businesses and industrial purposes, and in a report said all were found to contain critical vulnerabilities which could allow attackers to control them remotely. While current devices do not have the "strength, speed and force" to cause an adult harm, the design flaws are so common, the company says, that when stronger robots are developed the risk of harm could be significant. "We found a lot of authentication vulnerabilities, where the user of the robot is not actually verified to be the owner," said Lucas Apa, a senior security consultant at IOActive. These issues mean that "anyone within the same network can interact with the robot and issue it commands - to move around or even to return the video or microphone recordings that it's making to a third party". The robots, especially when used in a business setting, could therefore facilitate industrial espionage, the firm says.

It was a miniscule change in parameters – just 2mm – but that tiny deviation delivered to a real robot in a recent hacking experiment could result in a massive product recall or even a major defect in an aircraft design in a real manufacturing scenario. Researchers at Trend Micro and Italy-based Politecnico di Milano today detailed the proof-of-concept attack they conducted on an ABB Robotics IRB140 industrial robot, exploiting a remote code vulnerability they found in the robot's controller software. They fed the robot a phony configuration file that modified its parameters for drawing a straight line. Instead of a perfectly straight line, the robot drew a slightly skewed one, following the 2mm change in instructions. "The code was working as expected, but with the wrong configuration," says Mark Nunnikhoven, Trend Micro's vice president of cloud research.

There are a lot of conspiracy theories about robots taking over our jobs or killing the humanity. In fact, famous physicist Professor Stephan Hawking agrees with researchers who claim AI robots will leave humanity ''Utterly Defenceless.'' Now, researchers at IOActive, a cyber security company has revealed that [Pdf] programs which "bring them (robots) to life" carry critical vulnerabilities which can be used by threat actors for negative purposes. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) robots is on the rise. Last year, IBM developed Ross – World's first AI lawyer and plans are to license it for being utilized in domains like bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors' rights team.

The rise of the household robot appears inevitable as robotics labs scramble to design companions that can clean, cook and even talk to their human owners. But a top cybersecurity firm has claimed that if hackers got into a robot's circuitry, it could be used to kill. Experts at the firm IOActive have warned that hacked robots, including some on the market today, could be used to poison humans or pets and even burgle homes. Experts at security firm IOActive have warned that hacked robots, including some on the market today, could be used to poison humans or pets and even burgle homes. This robot, not analysed in IOActive's report, was on display at the'Robotics Expo' in Moscow in 2015 Robots linked to home security systems could be hacked into to burgle homes, IOActive suggests.