LG washing machine uses 3.6GB of data per day, owner confused; LG launches investigation



A post by X (formerly Twitter) reporting that LG's smart washing machine was transmitting a massive amount of data, 3.6GB per day, became a hot topic.

Homeowner Baffled After Washing Machine Uses 3.6GB of Internet Data a Day

https://www.newsweek.com/homeowner-baffled-washing-machine-uses-3-6gb-internet-1862675

Your washing machine could be sending 3.7 GB of data a day — LG washing machine owner disconnected his device from Wi-Fi after noticing excessive outgoing daily data traffic | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/your-washing-machine-could-be-sending-37-gb-of-data-a-day

X user Johnny Lee posted on January 9, 2024, 'Oh my God! Why is my LG washing machine using 3.6GB of data a day?' The post has been viewed 17.5 million times at the time of writing.



The washing machine is a smart machine that can be monitored and controlled via an app over a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to start washes remotely using their smartphones and download additional wash programs from the internet, a feature Lee humorously calls ' DLC (Downloadable Laundry Cycles) .'

Lee first noticed something was wrong in early January when his home internet connection slowed down. He checked his home router logs to see which devices were consuming network bandwidth and discovered that his LG washing machine was the fourth-highest data-using device that week.

During the investigation, the researchers also found that Apple's iMessage traffic was somehow included in the washing machine's communications. Lee speculated that this was a misidentification by the traffic monitoring tool of the ASUS router, and added, 'Unless the washing machine is sending photos of my washing.'



When Lee blocked the smart washing machine's communication on the router, his data usage was successfully reduced. Now that the problem has been resolved, Lee said, 'I'm sorry to the people who were mining bitcoins with my washing machine. If you want, I'll be happy to lend you my washing machine's LPU (laundry processing unit) for a period of time.'



Lee's references to iMessage and mining were, of course, a joke, but according to the IT news site Tom's Hardware, it's not entirely impossible. Even low-power devices can have powerful computing power when used in large numbers, and there have been cases of hackers taking over LG's smart home appliances, so it's entirely conceivable that LG washing machines could be used to create a botnet for mining or network exploitation.

Although Lee is the only person to claim that an LG washing machine used more than 3GB of data, LG has launched a full investigation. An LG spokesperson told American news outlet Newsweek, 'We have been in contact with customers regarding their concerns about the high traffic data and are actively investigating to determine the cause of this anomaly. While this is an isolated incident, LG continues to work on investigating the root cause.'

After that, Lee and LG kept in contact with each other to investigate the fraudulent traffic and analyze the data from network analysis software, but in the end the cause was unknown.

In a post about a month and a half after his initial post, Lee reported that the washing machine's data usage had returned to normal and thanked LG engineers for proactively investigating the cause. 'As more objects and appliances around us become connected to the Internet, it becomes even more important to monitor the data usage of these appliances and deploy devices securely. I would like to thank everyone who made humorous comments and replies. Hopefully, I won't have to share my dirty laundry stories so often in the future,' he said.



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