Amazon security engineer hacks PC accessories with Claude Opus to make them work better — Asus, Insta360 and Elgato products reverse engineered in hours for 'better control', but engineer admits this also 'scares me'
Some nifty tricks are pulled off by the security engineer — but the dark side of all this is worrying to say the least.
An Amazon security engineer demonstrated the power of AI tool Claude Opus by hacking several peripheral devices to reverse engineer and modify their firmware. Chaz Schlarp, a Senior Security Engineer at Amazon, used Claude Opus 5 to experiment with a webcam, microphone, Asus monitor, Elgato video capture stick, and Elgato mini-light.
The engineer found that these devices lacked proper firmware integrity protection, making them easy targets for modification. Schlarp managed to remove a warning pop-up on an Asus monitor, run Windows utilities on a Linux system, and disable a webcam's recording light. He also discovered a way to get a shell on a commercial Dell display.
While this showcases the potential benefits of AI in firmware modification, Schlarp warns that it also poses a significant security risk. The ease with which these devices can be manipulated now raises concerns about malicious actors potentially compromising systems through compromised peripherals.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
