---
title: "Flaw in Smart Pet Feeders Lets Hackers Overfeed Your Cat"
description: "A Russian security researcher claims to have accidentally identified some troubling vulnerabilities in the firmware of Xiaomi FurryTail smart pet feeders."
date: "2019-10-29"
modified: "2019-10-29"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/smart-pet-feeders-hackers-overfeed-cat"
categories:
  - "Computing"
  - "Internet Of Things"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "internet of things"
  - "iot"
  - "pet tech"
  - "the digest"
---

# Flaw in Smart Pet Feeders Lets Hackers Overfeed Your Cat

![A Russian security researcher, claims to have accidentally identified some troubling vulnerabilities in the firmware of Xiaomi FurryTail smart pet feeders.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/smart-pet-feeders-hackers-overfeed-cat.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Xiaomi\</em\>*

## Cats and Dogs

These days, everything [can be hacked](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/smart-home-hackers-nuclear-war>). Thanks to unprotected smart home devices, not even your pet's feeding schedule is safe.

Anna Prosvetova, a Russian security researcher, claims to have identified troubling vulnerabilities in the firmware of Xiaomi FurryTail smart pet feeders, [*ZDNet* reports](<https://www.zdnet.com/article/security-researcher-gets-access-to-all-xiaomi-pet-feeders-around-the-world/>) — which could give a bad actor access to more than ten thousand pet feeders around the world.

## Secret Life

Prosvetova found that with her single FurryTail device, she was able to locate all other 10,950 devices on the net, according to *ZDNet*. The researcher claims she was able to even change the feeding schedules of innocent furry companions without a password.

Worse yet, the vulnerability was bad enough to theoretically allow hackers to automate the task of taking over all the pet feeders — and, potentially, either starve or overfeed dogs and cats across the globe.

## Smart Home

While it's admittedly not the highest-stake hack we've covered at Futurism, it's [yet another](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/eight-ways-hack-nest-camera>) example of poor security on internet-connected smart devices.

The company has acknowledged the bug and promised a fix after Prosvetova reached out, according to *ZDNet*. The researcher hasn't posted details about the vulnerability yet, since Xiamoi hasn't yet patched its firmware.

**READ MORE:** [Security researcher gets access to all Xiaomi pet feeders around the world](<https://www.zdnet.com/article/security-researcher-gets-access-to-all-xiaomi-pet-feeders-around-the-world/>) \[*ZDNet*\]

**More on IoT:** *[There Are at Least Eight Ways to Hack a Nest Camera](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/eight-ways-hack-nest-camera>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)