Xiaomi fixes security camera privacy bugs

Xiaomi has recently released a statement saying that they have already fixed the bugs that cause its security cameras to send random still images of other peoples’ homes to Google Nest Hub users.

The issue was first reported on Reddit with a user saying that he has been receiving random still images of other peoples’ homes to his Google Nest Hub when he tried to connect to his Xiaomi Mijia 1080p Smart IP Security Camera. Google responded by disabling Xiaomi integrations on their devices while they work with Xiaomi on a fix.

Xiaomi then issued a statement saying that they have already solved the issue and is now fixed. The company explained that the issue was caused by a cache update released on December 26, 2019, which was designed to improve camera streaming quality. The issue happened during the integration between Mi Home Security Camera Basic 1080p and the Google Home Hub with a display screen under poor network conditions.

Xiaomi also said that they have communicated and fixed the issue with Google, and has also suspended the service until the root cause has been completely solved, to make sure the issue will not happen again.

You can read the full statement below as sent to Android Police:

“Xiaomi has always prioritized our users’ privacy and information security. We are aware there was an issue of receiving stills while connecting Mi Home Security Camera Basic 1080p on Google Home hub. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to our users.

Our team has since acted immediately to solve the issue and it is now fixed. Upon investigation, we have found out the issue was caused by a cache update on December 26, 2019, which was designed to improve camera streaming quality. This has only happened in extremely rare conditions. In this case, it happened during the integration between Mi Home Security Camera Basic 1080p and the Google Home Hub with a display screen under poor network conditions.

We have also found 1044 users were with such integrations and only a few with extremely poor network conditions might be affected. This issue will not happen if the camera is linked to the Xiaomi’s Mi Home app.

Xiaomi has communicated and fixed this issue with Google, and has also suspended this service until the root cause has been completely solved, to ensure that such issues will not happen again.”

source: Android Police