Picture Credit: Anycubic

Anycubic prospects are reporting that their 3D printers have been hacked and now show a message warning of an alleged safety flaw within the firm’s programs.

Quite a few threads on information sharing website Reddit present comparable experiences (hat tip to @dan) of customers receiving an unsolicited textual content file on their Anycubic 3D printers with the file identify, “hacked_machine_readme.” The planted textual content file claims Anycubic has a “essential vulnerability” and warns the person to take motion to “stop potential exploitation.”

The textual content file reads partly:

“Your machine has a essential vulnerability, posing a major risk to your safety. Instant motion is strongly suggested to forestall potential exploitation. Be happy to disconnect your printer from the web should you don’t wanna get hacked by a nasty actor! That is only a innocent message. You haven’t been harmed in any manner.”

The textual content file described an unspecified vulnerability in Anycubic’s MQTT service, which allegedly permits the power to “join and management” buyer 3D printers which are linked to the web. MQTT is a well-liked messaging protocol typically utilized by apps and internet-connected gadgets for speaking with an organization’s back-end servers, on this case Anycubic’s programs.

Anycubic’s app was down on the time of writing when TechCrunch checked. Customers attempting to log in have been met with a “community unavailable” error message.

The one who authored the textual content file claimed they despatched the message to 2.9 million Anycubic 3D printers. Anycubic’s James Ouyang mentioned in a July 2023 interview that his firm had three million cumulative gross sales.

Ouyang didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s electronic mail requesting remark.

“Disconnect your printer from the web till anycubic patches this challenge,” the textual content file reads.

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