Every Unitree robot dog has a backdoor. A tunnel built into the firmware connects to servers in China, giving Unitree — or anyone who hacks Unitree — remote access to the robot's cameras, microphone, and legs. The company can watch through your robot's eyes and drive it around your house. You bought a pet. It reports to Beijing. All Unitree robot dogs share one tunnel service. Hack one, access all. The tunnel transmits API keys in plaintext. A vulnerability in the Chinese tunnel provider exposes every robot dog on Earth simultaneously. Your home robot is one server breach away from being remotely controlled by a stranger. And the tunnel cannot be turned off.
What they claim: Unitree Go2 promoted as a consumer robot companion with fun capabilities
What we found: In 2024, security researchers discovered that every Unitree Go2 robot dog contains a pre-installed remote access tunnel (CloudSail/Zhexi) that connects back to Unitree's servers in China. Through this tunnel, Unitree — or anyone who compromises their infrastructure — can remotely access the robot's cameras, microphone, and movement controls. The tunnel is active by default and cannot be disabled through normal settings.
What they claim: Unitree describes the Go2 as safe for home use with privacy protections
What we found: The CloudSail tunnel service used by Unitree is operated by Zhexi Technology, a Chinese company. All Unitree robot dogs share the same tunnel infrastructure, meaning a vulnerability in the CloudSail service could expose every Go2 robot globally. Researchers found the tunnel also transmitted API keys and management tokens in plaintext, allowing lateral access to other robots on the network.