How’d you like to have your own 5’5” robot to make your coffee, vacuum and put away the groceries? Meet NEO Gamma. No price yet. Imagine if the music was scary and not happy.
Your Wi-Fi was part of 2.7 billion records leaked
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I bet you’ve never heard of Mars Hydro. It’s a company headquartered in Communist China that makes Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Their speciality? LED lights and hydroponics equipment.
Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler (I had him on the show about other breaches, and he’s a smart, standup guy) was digging around and found they had a massive 1.17TB database online for anyone to see. There was no encryption and no password required.
The database contained 2,734,819,501 sensitive records. My first thought is why does a hydroponics company have so much data?
What is Mars Hydro?
Stick with me because it’s a mess. The records Fowler found belong to a California-registered company, LG-LED Solutions Limited. Within those are also database details and URLs to LG-LED Solutions, Mars Hydro and a company called Spider Farmer.
They make and sell grow lights, fans, cooling systems and other gear used for agriculture. Mars Hydro is based in Shenzhen, China, with warehouses in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
So, why was an agriculture company collecting all this data and storing it all in an unsecured database? Probably because it’s the last place someone might look.
- Over 100 million Wi-Fi network names (SSIDs) with passwords
- IP addresses
- Device ID numbers
- All the devices connected to these Wi-Fi networks, including make, models and other details
- App error logs
When Fowler spotted the Mars Hydro code and asked if the app was involved, LG-LED dodged the question. Their only response? “This app is the official product of Mars Hydro.” Translation: They’re not denying it.
The Mars Hydro app page for Google Play (Android) shows over 10,000 downloads and an abysmal 1.9-star rating. I didn’t spot a single rating on the iPhone App Store, which is common for apps that aren’t all that popular.
Interestingly, the privacy section says no data is collected and nothing is shared with third parties. Well, we already know they lied about at least one of those things. The app store shows the same thing: “The developer does not collect any data from this app.”
Once the vulnerability was reported, the database was locked down. You can bet there are copies of the database floating around the Dark Web. But there’s a bigger picture here. This is not just about one bad data breach. It’s about negligence in the IoT industry.
CES 2025: AI everything, waterless coffee maker, wearable for your face
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Here’s your 10-second CES recap: TVs are bigger and smarter, laptops are faster and lighter, and AI is everywhere. I sifted through the fluff to bring you the best and weirdest of this year’s consumer tech showcase.
Alexa+ is ready for a price: The new Amazon AI can guess a movie based on clues. Ask for “that one with the sparkling vampires,” and it pulls up “Twilight.” It’s getting integrated with thousands of apps, too, so you can do things like order an Uber without lifting a finger. I expect more skills for $240 a year!
CES 2025: What’s coming at this year’s tech show
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The big CES 2025 event kicks off tomorrow in Las Vegas with over 100,000 attendees. I’ve got the inside scoop on what’s hot this year.
LG’s hoping to steal the show with its Zero Connect box. No cables — it wirelessly transmits 4K video at 144Hz. Plus, LG will introduce its Dynamic QNED Color Solution system, better HDR and sound optimization, and a Magic Remote, a voice-controlled and gesture-enabled universal remote that doubles as a mouse for your TV. (Smart — the LG remote is horrible now.) They’ll also unveil the UltraGear GX9, a bendable 45-inch monitor with a 5K2K resolution (5120×2160) and a 21:9 aspect ratio.
8 ways your phone is tracking you - That you can stop now
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You understand that your phone knows where you’re located. This is how GPS works, how Find My sees your location and why you get local ads on Facebook and Google. Like other data on your phone, that location data is a hot commodity for internet marketers.
Audio AI Fugatto generates sound from text
🔊 Swiss Army knife for sound: That’s what Nvidia is calling Fugatto, its new AI audio generator. People are, of course, creating bizarre sounds from text prompts, like turning the sound of a train into a string orchestra. Its creators think it could spark new music genres like the electric guitar did. What do you think?
Alexa really is getting smarter: Amazon rolled out the new Alexa+. You’ll be able to search Ring footage and upload docs, like your kid’s soccer schedule. Alexa will put the dates on your cal and snacks on the shopping list. Cost? Free with Prime or $20 a month without.
🤖 Rosie from the Jetsons is here: How’d you like to have your own 5’5” robot to make your coffee, vacuum and put away the groceries? Meet NEO Gamma. No price yet. Check out the video. Would you want one in your house? Let me know when you rate today’s newsletter at the bottom.
The fix that didn’t: Fitbit pushed out a mandatory update to stop batteries from overheating and burning you. Turns out it also cut battery life in Sense and Versa 3 models from up to six days to … one day. Fill out this form if you want $50 as their “oops, sorry.”
Whoa, it’s not an iPhone SE 4! Apple’s newest budget model ($599) is the iPhone 16e. It’ll have a 6.1-inch OLED screen, 48MP Fusion Camera, 5G modem, Apple Intelligence and a beefier A18 chip. What’s missing? MagSafe, the old Home Button and zippy Wi-Fi 7. Preorders start on Friday. Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE were discontinued, too.
🧬 Gene-ius: 23andMe is in freefall, and the genetic data of its 15 million customers might soon be up for grabs. Imagine insurers using your DNA to hike premiums or advertisers exploiting it for targeted ads without your consent. The kicker: It’s all legal. U.S. courts treat biological samples as corporate property, meaning companies can indeed sell them. If you haven’t already, delete your 23andMe account ASAP. Steps here.
🪫 It’s not just you: Apple’s new iOS 18.2 update is draining iPhone batteries. If it’s happening to you, don’t panic. Turn down your screen’s brightness and turn off apps refreshing in the background. Apple says to give it a few days to settle. Or you could get this portable charger for just $17.75 (26% off; click the box for an additional 5% off).
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💿 Let it go: LG is done making Blu-ray players, joining the likes of Samsung and Sony. Some Blu-ray player models are still available until they sell out. If you want a soon-to-be artifact, get moving.
📱 It’s like Siri went to college: The smart assistant now uses ChatGPT on the iPhone 15 Pro or any iPhone 16. If you grant permission, the iOS 18.2 update allows OpenAI’s GPT-4 to step in if Siri can’t help you. No ChatGPT account, free or paid, is needed. It’s kinda weird. I opened an email and it automatically generated a reply that was pretty damn good.
Antivirus isn't just for your computer - Here's why you should protect your smartphone, too
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You probably know that antivirus software is essential for your computer. Without it, you’re browsing without protection, exposing yourself to ransomware, viruses, Trojans, spyware and countless other threats. But your computer isn’t the only gadget that needs antivirus protection.
🍏 Using old Apple tech? Starting Dec. 18, there’ll be no more iCloud backups for devices running on iOS 8 or earlier. Device-wise, that’s anything older than an iPhone 4s or iPad 2. Check if you can update to iOS 9 via Settings > Software Update. If not, it’s time to move on, friend. Cheap upgrades: iPad (10th-gen) for 20% off and the iPhone 12 (16% off).
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
AI window-washing robots make their U.S. debut in Dallas
🧽 Window washing 2.0: Cleaning high-rise windows is risky work, but a spider-like AI robot is about to change that. Named after those gravity-defying mountain goats, Ibex only needs a button press to get to work. It climbs buildings, using cameras and sensors to scan surfaces, dodge window frames and leave no spot untouched. The robots are already in Texas, so don’t be surprised if they pop up everywhere soon.
Boston Dynamics' Atlas goes hands-on
Atlas doesn’t need lunch breaks: Boston Dynamics just dropped new footage of its humanoid robot Atlas. The bot does factory work, like moving engine covers between supplier containers and a mobile sequencing dolly — complete with full-motion bending and turning. The big deal is that no human needs to tell the bot what to do after training.
Go ahead, take my money: Apple is upgrading its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with its zippy M4 line of processors. The basic 14-inch M4 MacBook starts at $1,599 with 16GB of RAM, and the 16-inch M4 Max is $3,999. Preorders are open, with shipping slated to start on Nov. 8. Psst, this means the older models are on sale.