---
title: "Manufacturer issues remote kill command to disable smart vacuum after engineer blocks it from collecting data — user revives it with custom hardware and Python scripts to run offline"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/manufacturer-issues-remote-kill-command-to-disable-smart-vacuum-after-engineer-blocks-it-from-collec-fsuhmunwp
source_url: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/manufacturer-issues-remote-kill-command-to-nuke-smart-vacuum-after-engineer-blocks-it-from-collecting-data-user-revives-it-with-custom-hardware-and-python-scripts-to-run-offline
type: article
source: "Hacker News"
published: 2025-11-05T22:36:14.844Z
updated: 2025-11-05T22:36:57.719Z
tags: ["python", "privacy", "iot", "raspberry-pi", "reverse-engineering"]
reading_time: 10
upvotes: 14
comments: 3
language: en
---

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# Manufacturer issues remote kill command to disable smart vacuum after engineer blocks it from collecting data — user revives it with custom hardware and Python scripts to run offline

**[Hacker News](https://daily.dev/sources/hn)** · 10 min read · 14 upvotes · 3 comments

## Summary

An engineer discovered his iLife A11 smart vacuum was sending telemetry data without consent. After blocking the manufacturer's servers, the device was remotely disabled via a kill command. Through reverse engineering, he found the vacuum had unsecured root access and was transmitting 3D maps of his home. He successfully revived the device using custom hardware, Python scripts, and a Raspberry Pi, enabling it to run completely offline. The incident highlights serious privacy and ownership concerns with IoT devices that rely on cloud processing.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/manufacturer-issues-remote-kill-command-to-nuke-smart-vacuum-after-engineer-blocks-it-from-collecting-data-user-revives-it-with-custom-hardware-and-python-scripts-to-run-offline>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@snoupix** · 6 upvotes

> Isn't it illegal to remotely disable a product bought by one of your customers wherever this individual lives ?! It really is concerning, not even talking about telemetry sent without consent

**@fabianletsch** · 0 upvotes

> This sounds like the most illegal thing you could ever do in europe.

**@selfer** · 0 upvotes

> As I was commenting on the previous iteration of this post:
> "Was there any kind of licence agreement, for example in the app? If yes and the data collection and the “punishment” for blocking data collection is there then, yeah. But if not, isn’t this potentially base for a class action lawsuit?
>
> Great article btw."

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---

Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#privacy](https://daily.dev/tags/privacy), [#iot](https://daily.dev/tags/iot), [#raspberry-pi](https://daily.dev/tags/raspberry-pi), [#reverse-engineering](https://daily.dev/tags/reverse-engineering)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/manufacturer-issues-remote-kill-command-to-disable-smart-vacuum-after-engineer-blocks-it-from-collec-fsuhmunwp)