Rabbit R1 hardcoded API keys — all user data accessible to anyone with firmware
Date: 2024-06
Affected: Rabbit R1 device — all users' interaction history, TTS data, location data
Attack vector: auth-bypass
Category: real-world
Severity: Critical

Security researchers discovered that Rabbit Inc's R1 AI device had hardcoded API keys for ElevenLabs, Azure, Yelp, and Google Maps embedded in its firmware. These keys were not rotated and granted access to all historical user interactions, text-to-speech requests, and location data. Rabbit initially denied the severity, but ElevenLabs confirmed the keys were valid and revoked them, briefly breaking R1 functionality for all users.

Impact: Complete user data exposure; third-party API key revocation; device functionality broken; regulatory investigation risk

Mitigations:
Never embed API keys in client-side code or firmware
Use server-side proxy with per-user authentication for third-party API calls
Automated secret scanning in CI/CD pipeline
API key rotation policy with automated credential lifecycle management

Architectural layers (MAESTRO):
label: Deployment & Infrastructure
notes: API keys hardcoded in client-side firmware without rotation or scoping
role: origin
label: Data Operations
notes: All user interaction history accessible via leaked keys
role: impact
label: Agent Ecosystem
notes: Third-party service keys compromised entire supply chain
role: propagation