Let's see how Cobot hacking can destroy much more than you can probably think

What are Cobots?

A cobot, or collaborative robot, is a robot designed for direct human-robot contact in a shared area or for close proximity to people. Traditional industrial robot applications, in which robots are segregated from human contact, contrast with cobot applications. Cobot safety can be ensured through the use of lightweight construction materials, rounded edges, natural speed, and force limitations, as well as sensors and software that ensure safe behavior. Because they are designed to work alongside people, service robots could be termed cobots. Industrial robots have historically worked in isolation from humans, separated by fences or other barriers, but cobots eliminate this barrier.

Cobots can be used for a variety of tasks, including information robots in public spaces (an example of a service robot), logistics robots that transport materials within a building, and industrial robots that help automate non-ergonomic tasks like assisting people with heavy parts, machine feeding, and assembly operations.

Are Cobots hackable?

With high-profile security breaches occurring on a regular basis, cybersecurity is a major worry for most firms. Security breaches aren't immune to cobots, and the consequences of a hack might be disastrous, if not fatal. Along with parking violations, taxes, and public transportation, hacking has become a typical irritation in modern life.

Despite the fact that hackers are widespread, security breaches have far-reaching consequences. Many of these vulnerabilities are well-known, but what if a collaborative robot was hacked? Is that even possible?

A hacker might wish to access a collaborative robot for mainly one of five reasons:

1. A hacker could alter or sabotage the production outcome by making minor changes to the robot programming. This could compromise the product's integrity and make it nearly untraceable.

2. Using a ransomware scheme – A hacker might seize control of the robot and prohibit access to it, demanding payment to free it and prevent them from causing more damage, similar to many other computer attacks.

3. Physical damage – A hacked robot could harm people and/or equipment, resulting in significant financial and reputational damage to your firm.

4. Interference with the manufacturing line – A hacker could alter the robot's productivity, causing bottlenecks in the entire line and/or causing product damage.

5. Exfiltration of sensitive data – Any stored data relating to trade secrets could be taken from the robot controller.

How much destruct can it cause? 

A company's reputation and bottom line can be harmed by any security violation.

The fact that robots are physical machines, on the other hand, adds to the grounds for anxiety. They have the potential to cause serious bodily harm and destruction. Because collaborative robots are built to work alongside humans, the consequences of a cyber-attack might put people's lives in jeopardy, not just the company's.

A cyberattack on an industrial robot, whether it's a collaborative robot or not, could have three major consequences:

• Safety – Cobots are built to work in a human-friendly environment. Any unauthorised alteration to its security mechanisms could jeopardise this vital feature.
• Integrity — If a robot's integrity is compromised, it is no longer suited for its intended purpose.
• Accuracy– Small malicious alterations to a robot's accuracy could compromise product integrity, while big changes could harm the robot itself.

When the robot's safety, integrity, and accuracy are compromised in virtually imperceptible ways, one of the most serious concerns arises. Before anyone discovers it, the robot could be operating in a vulnerable state for a long time.

There are five major destructions a cyber-attacker can cause through cobot hacking:

1. By altering the controller's settings:

A hacker could alter a robot's control parameters in a subtle way. This can slightly alter the robot's route in a way that is virtually undetected, yet it affects the product's integrity and results in a damaged or modified product.

2. Messing around with the calibration parameters:

A hacker might alter the robot's calibration parameters, forcing it to go in unanticipated directions or deviate from its intended path. It harms the robot and/or may cause human injury.

3. Tampering with the logic of manufacturing:

A hacker could make subtle, nearly unnoticeable changes to the robot program, introducing faults into the products and interfering with the production line, resulting in defective or modified products.

4. Modifying or Altering the condition of the robot:

A hacker could change the robot's condition to one that is dangerous. A hacker could overcome the security constraints of a collaborative robot in a way that is practically unnoticeable to the user, as IOActive demonstrated in 2017. It has the potential to cause human damage.

5. Changing the robot's perceived state in the eyes of the user:

A hacker may make the robot appear to be in one state while actually being in another, leaving humans in the dark about what state it is in. This could be extremely dangerous for humans. For example, the controller could show that the robot is turned off while it is actually turned on and no security constraints have been specified.