Read moreThe Russian press reports that local officials intercepted a shipment from China that contained home appliances with “spy” microchips capable of spreading malware to wi-fi enabled devices within 200 meters. Tea kettles were apparently the chief culprit.
Specific details of the dodgy shipments remain shady. It’s unclear, for example, if the chips were installed by the Chinese or by cyber criminals en route to Russia. It’s also unclear how Russian authorities spotted the contraband in the first place, although one report claims that the weight of some shipments were slightly off. Finally, the extent of the fiasco is also unclear, though limited press coverage suggests that it’s contained to a small shipment in St. Petersburg.