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Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless: two-minute review

The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is a rechargeable and bagless portable vacuum cleaner that is designed to be suitable for use in the home and the car. It's affordably priced, although on test I found it lacked the power to tackle anything but the simplest vacuuming tasks.

The design is pleasantly lightweight and easy to use. There's a washable HEPA filter, and the dust cup has a capacity of 2.3 cups / 550ml – enough for a few small cleaning sessions. However, there are a few slightly annoying design features. In use, care needs to be taken not to absent-mindedly hit the dust cup release button that sits a little way up the handle from the sliding power switch. Emptying the dust cup requires removing the whole front of the vacuum, including the filter. That's not unusual for a low-cost mini vacuum, but it is a little fiddly. On the plus side, it did mean that I regularly shook off the debris that had collected on the filter.

The accessories that come with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless look a little cheap, but I found them to be useful. There’s an extension hose, a flat nozzle, and a small brush nozzle, which proved particularly helpful when vacuuming fabric surfaces.

Moving on to cleaning performance, and the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless was regretfully underwhelming. While it did an adequate job of picking up larger pieces of debris, such as biscuit crumbs and oats, it struggled to suck up finer debris like smaller crumb particles and flour, to the point where I needed to enlist the help of the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro (which sits at the top of TechRadar's best handheld vacuum guide), to finish the job to a good standard.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

In terms of value for money, things are a little complicated. Comparing current Amazon list prices (which, it should be highlighted, can often change), it's significantly cheaper in the US than the UK. At the US price, it's perhaps worth considering if you just need something very basic for small cleanup jobs. However, in the UK, there are better affordable alternatives in our best car vacuum roundup.

That's the short version – read on for my full Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless.

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: price & availability

• Different configurations available in US and UK
• More expensive in the UK, and not good value for money
• Far cheaper in the US, where it's better value

The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is listed for £37.99 at Amazon UK, and this price includes the accessories and charging dock. It’s also possible to purchase the handheld vacuum and accessories without the dock (there’s a USB-C charging port on the end of the handle), for a list price of £29.99. While the price is relatively budget-friendly, it's not particularly good value for money when you consider the price and performance of other mini vacuums on the market.

In the US, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is significantly cheaper. The model with a charging dock is no longer available at Amazon US, but it’s still possible to purchase the standard version, for an extremely affordable $15.99. At that price, it's a much more compelling prospect, and might be worth buying.

You will need to factor in the ongoing cost of replacement HEPA filters. These aren't currently available at Amazon US, although you can pick them up at Amazon UK, where a pack of two costs £15.88. That's almost half the cost of the vacuum itself, but as they’re washable they should last a while, providing you aren’t frequently vacuuming areas that are excessively dirty.

• Value score: 2.5 out of 5

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless specs Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: design & features

• Small and lightweight
• Cheap materials
• Washable HEPA filter

Satisfyingly small and lightweight, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is easy to carry between locations, making it perfect for quick couch cleans after a biscuit binge, or for taking out to the car for a mini-valet. It has compact dimensions of 13.4 x 3.2 x 3.5 inches / 33.4 x 8 x 9cm and weighs just 1.2 lbs / 560g, so I found it easy to maneuver to vacuum high and low surfaces.

As expected for the price, the material quality of the isn’t outstanding on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless or its charging dock. The majority of the plastic is a cheap-looking black plastic with a matte finish, and the material of the accessories isn’t the best either, but they did the job. The business end of the vacuum itself looks a little better, in a glossy translucent black plastic. This is pretty common among handheld vacs, as it still provides visibility of the remaining dust cup capacity, but helps to minimize the eyesore of the contents that were vacuumed up.

To power on the vacuum, there’s a teal-colored upward-sliding switch that I found a little more fiddly than a simple power button, but it wasn’t much of a hindrance. Further down the handle, toward the dust cup, there’s a pressable button with a subtle trash can icon that acts as the release trigger for the dust cup.

The detachable dust cup has a 2.3 cup / 550ml capacity, which is roughly a half cup more than the highly-rated Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus. Please be warned: the release button is so easy to press accidentally if you’re not paying attention. Fortunately for me, I only did this at the beginning of the testing process, so I didn’t end up emptying flour and oats over my car interior, but it could easily have happened.

This compact vacuum has a washable HEPA filter that sits on top of the dust cup. This meant that I had to remove it every time I needed to empty the cup contents, which is a small inconvenience, but did serve as a good opportunity to check the state of the filter each time and a reminder to wash it regularly to maintain efficient suction. I found it easy to release and remove the dust cup thanks to the button on the vacuum body. The filter was a little fiddly to remove as a type of rubber material surrounds it, but overall it was simple to pull out and replace.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

There are some convenient attachments included with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, including an extension hose that I found useful for reaching further into tighter spaces when connected to the flat nozzle, plus a brush nozzle for keyboards, to hoover up pet hair, and other tasks. All the accessories attached to the vac easily enough, and they stayed firmly in place during use.

The cheaply-made hose attachment wasn’t the most flexible, but it was adequate for the job. The flimsy nature of the connecting ends gives me a little concern, though, as I’m not sure they’ll stand the test of time, and look like they could easily split. They performed well during testing however, so I could be being overly cautious.

Homekane claims that the Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless has a runtime of 25-30 minutes, and supposedly takes three hours to recharge via USB-C. It was a simple case of popping the vacuum into the dock, although I wasn’t a fan of the configuration. I understand that storing the vacuum handle first in the dock allows the dock to be smaller, therefore saving space, but it’s a little inconvenient.

In addition to this, the design means that the charging indicator light faces backward, so when the dock is placed against a wall, it’s not possible to see when the vacuum is fully charged. This may not be an issue for people who are happy to leave the dock powered at all times, but it's not ideal for the more energy-conscious among us.

The stated noise level of the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is 80 dB, which is equivalent to the sound of busy traffic. Testing the noise of the vacuum with a decibel meter on my phone confirmed that this statement is accurate, and while it’s unpleasant for someone like myself who suffers from tinnitus, it’s no louder than one would expect from a compact vacuum cleaner.

• Design and features score: 3 out of 5

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: performance

• Struggles to vacuum up fine particles
• Tackles larger pieces of debris adequately
• Emptying process could be easier

Unfortunately, there’s only one power setting of 9,500Pa available on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, which is considerably less than the Temola Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, which offers 15,000PA on its highest setting. Even its eco mode is more powerful than the Homekane, at 10,000Pa.

Nonetheless, it had no issue when vacuuming up crumbs, but the real test was to come when I put it through its paces against our TechRadar vacuum testing process. Unfortunately for me, this involved decanting flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats into my car's interior.

I tested three car vacs together for a direct comparison, our best handheld vacuum and best car vacuum, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, and the Temola TS20BS. The Homekane was lightweight and easy to wield, a nice contrast from the noticeably heavier handheld Shark vac. But, while it may have been more pleasant to hold, I quickly found myself wishing that I hadn’t left the Homekane till the last to test.

The lower suction level of 9,500Pa was evident, with the finer particles refusing to budge from within the pile of my car mat. Worse still, the back-positioned air outlet meant that I had to change the order of my testing process, as, to my horror, it blew the oats I’d spread for the next test everywhere – under my seats and deeper under the glove compartment area. I was not amused, to say the least. I didn’t experience these issues with the Shark or Temola, as their air outlets are helpfully located on the sides, making for minimal blowback.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

I decided to test the small floor brush attached to the crevice nozzle to see how much this would help, and I’m pleased to say that it did a great job at picking up the elusive particles, making an incredible difference to the results I got from using the vac alone, so that’s one saving grace for the Homekane.

The results weren’t 100 per cent perfect, and I certainly wouldn’t use it for a full-on car valet, but overall the carpet looked clean enough. It did an okay job with the larger oats, which were collected fairly easily, but it was much slower than the other two car vacs. And again, there just wasn’t enough suction to pick up those smaller particles.

The crevice tool did a good job, presumably because the limited suction was restricted to a smaller area. It picked up lots of loose leaves and stones in the nooks and crannies of my car’s footwell and vacuumed the dust from the small gaps around my door’s armrest with ease. The flexible extension hose proved useful when vacuuming the crevices around my car’s center console, providing a little extra reach when the crevice tool on the Homekane Handheld Vac alone wouldn’t have fitted as far into the space.

I also used the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless with the crevice and brush nozzle attachments to vacuum my desk and keyboard in our busy TechRadar reviews office. It did a satisfactory job of making them look cleaner, but it left behind some of the finer dust and fibers. This result was lacking in comparison to the Temola TS20BS, which did a better job of picking up most of the debris thanks to its higher suction setting.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

When attempting to empty the dust cup, I found the washable HEPA filter tricky to remove, finding I had to put my fingers within the filter itself to get enough purchase to wiggle it out. After testing with the flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats, I found I needed to spend some time bashing the filter to remove as much as I could before washing it.

• Performance score: 2.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless? Buy it if...

You're in the US and you want a super-cheap vac
While I wouldn't recommend this handheld vac to fellow Brits, at the current price of $15.99 it wouldn't make a bad purchase for spontaneous clean-ups.

You want something lightweight
One thing this small vac has going for it is that it's satisfyingly small and light to wield, so it could make a good choice for someone who struggles with larger vacuums.

Don't buy it if...

You want good suction
There are plenty of other high-suction and better-performing alternatives out there for a similar price. I kept an open mind about the limited suction power, but after testing other vacs at the same price point that did a far better job.

You want high-quality materials
From the packaging to the vacuum and accessories, the low price point is clear. Don't get me wrong, nothing fell apart or broke when I was using it, but if you like to own products that look good quality, this isn't one of them.

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: also consider

Temola TS20BS
This lightweight vac is only slightly more expensive than the cost of the Homekane in the UK, but you get an awful lot for that little extra investment. It has two suction levels, 10,000PA, and 15,000PA, with the latter doing a fantastic job of picking up the finer dust from testing, especially when the dust brush was used. One important caveat, however, is that I've been unable to source replacement filters so far, so this is something to keep in mind.

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus
A firm favorite here at TechRadar, this Shark handheld vac offers great vacuuming performance and versatile tools. No wonder it's our top choice for the best handheld and car vacuums. Check out the full review to learn more.

How I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless

• I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless against two other handheld vacs
• I assessed its ability to vacuum both large and fine debris
• I made use of the included accessories

I took a close look at the design and materials used for the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless. I used it to vacuum my sofa and my desk and put it through its paces against the TechRadar vacuum testing process in my car. This involves testing a vacuum's ability to pick up fine and coarse particles, namely oats, and a mixture of flour and fine biscuit crumbs.

I assessed the fit of the accessories and used each of them to see how effective they were. I also looked at how easy and efficient the dust cup emptying process was.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

First reviewed December 2024

Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: two-minute review

The Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine is a manual coffee maker that gives you a taste of the barista experience, giving you the option of pulling an espresso shot with a pleasingly smooth and tactile lever, or simply twisting the filter handle into place and pressing a button to let the machine do the work for you.

After trying the Smeg Mini Pro last year, one of my colleagues at TechRadar concluded that although lovely, it was "probably overkill for me and most coffee drinkers" – but having used it for several weeks in place of my usual espresso machine, I'm inclined to disagree. Although it has the looks of a professional coffee maker, it's not only one of the best espresso machines I've used when it comes to brewing consistently good coffee, it's also one of the easiest to use, and makes achieving a good shot refreshingly simple.

The Smeg Mini pro will help you achieve consistent results, and its steam wand was a particular highlight for me (Image credit: Future)

It's a relatively compact (small enough not to dominate a tiny kitchen) and thoughtfully designed, with features including a bright LED display, a pressure gauge that gives you an indication of how well extracted your espresso is likely to be, and customizable temperature and volume settings – the latter of which are very handy if you'll be using the single and double shot presets regularly.

However, although it's not overkill in terms of features, the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine is certainly expensive. I'd expect to pay a premium for one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, but it's rare to see a manual consumer espresso machine at this price point. This is approaching the price of a commercial machine (with pressure profiling and flow control, which the Mini Pro lacks), so you'll have to really fall in love with it to justify the cost.

If you like the idea of a lever coffee machine and don't have that much cash to spend, it's worth taking a look at the range of fully manual machines from La Pavoni (a company now owned by Smeg), which includes several more affordable models.

The Mini Pro has a smart 60s-inspired look that's become one of Smeg's signatures (Image credit: Future) Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: Specs Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: price and availability

• Launched in the UK in June 2024
• List price £1,399.95 (about $1,700 / AU$2,800)
• Not yet available to buy elsewhere

The Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Machine launched in the UK in June 2024, priced at £1,399.95 (about $1,700 / AU$2,800). At the time of writing (January 2025) it's not yet available in other territories.

That's a serious price tag for a home espresso machine, and much pricier than even premium bean-to-cup coffee makers like the Breville Barista Touch Impress.

• Value score: 3/5

Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: Design

• Sleek 1960s-inspired aesthetic
• Choice of lever or button controls
• No flow control or pressure profiling

The Smeg Mini Pro is a lovely looking coffee maker, with the same brushed metal and smooth curves as the fully automatic BCC13 bean-to-cup espresso machine I reviewed last year. It comes in a choice of three colors: white (shown here), black, or emerald green.

It's also relatively compact, measuring 14.2 x 8.7 x 17in / 360 x 220 x 433mm. This meant it didn't look out of place in my small kitchen, and fitted easily underneath my wall cabinets.

As its name suggests the Smeg Mini pro is quite compact and won't look out of place in a small kitchen (Image credit: Future)

Although it might look a little intimidating if you're used to more basic machines, the Mini Pro is refreshingly simple to use. Reach behind the machine and you'll find a power button on the left-hand side, which turns it on with a reassuring click. Once that's done, the machine will begin to heat. It's set to 92C as standard, which in my experience gave good results, but you can delve into the settings to change it if you prefer something higher or lower.

A round LED display at the top right shows key information, such as whether the water is up to temperature, time elapsed if you're using the machine to pull a shot of espresso in manual mode, maintenance status, and the various customizable options. It's bright, and although simple, the icons in the interface are unambiguous.

There's also a pressure gauge at the bottom left of the machine's face, which gives you an idea of how well extracted your finished shot is going to be. It's a shame that there's no flow control or pressure profiling though, particularly for a machine at this price.

You can use either the manual lever or the preset buttons to pull a shot (Image credit: Future)

The Mini Pro is supplied with four filter baskets: two pressurized ones, which Smeg says are best for experimenting with grinding, dosing, and tamping, and two non-pressurized ones that are best when some of those factors are out of your control (if you're using ready-ground coffee, for example). Which one you should choose depends on whether you're brewing one or two cups.

You also get a blank filter to be used when cleaning the water tank – not something I've seen included with many espresso machines – plus a brush and two different sized needles. One of these is for cleaning the steam wand, and the other is for the holes of the filters.

The machine comes with a choice of pressurized and non-pressurized filter baskets (Image credit: Future)

The 1L water tank is located at the back, and has a sturdy handle that makes it easy to remove. There's no water filter supplied, but if you have hard water (identified using the testing strip included with the coffee machine) you can buy them separately and simply screw one into the bottom of the tank. When the tank needs refilling, you'll be notified by an icon on the display.

There's a cup-heater on top, which has a bumpy surface that keeps your stoneware from slipping off, and the drip tray is easy to slide out and empty without spillage. My only criticism of the design (and it's a very minor one) is that there's nothing really securing the cover that sits over the water tank, so you could knock it off when you're pulling the machine forward to access it.

The machine has a convenient cup-warmer on top (Image credit: Future)

Most of the components (including the filters and filter holder) can be cleaned by rinsing in water. You can use mild dish soap to clean the drip tray if necessary, but avoid anything abrasive on any part of the machine.

You'll receive an alert when it's time to descale the Mini Pro. The pros at Smeg use Oust brand descaler, but when I checked, they told me any food-safe liquid descaler would be fine. They also provided a video demonstrating how to descale the machine.

• Design score: 5/5

Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: performance

• Produces consistently well extracted coffee
• Fast heating and quiet pump
• Lacks pressure profiling and flow control

The machine heats fast, with separate thermoblocks for coffee and steam, plus an independently heated group head to keep a consistent temperature while your coffee is extracted. During my tests it reached the target temperature of 92C within a minute, and was ready to brew shortly afterwards (the LED display will show when it's ready to go).

I really appreciated having a choice of ways to brew an espresso – either by tapping one of the buttons to pull a single or double shot, or by pulling the lever up manually so you can keep an eye on the volume of coffee and the timer yourself.

The accessories supplied with the Smeg Mini Pro are excellent quality (Image credit: Future)

The action of the lever is smooth and satisfying, but it's very nice having the choice of the two customizable buttons if you don't want to spend time measuring out a shot yourself. The single and double shot presets are easy to customize; just press and hold either button to configure it.

The pressure gauge gave a good idea of whether the my coffee was likely to be under- or over-extracted, helping me avoid wasting milk on a poor quality espresso. Although the Mini Pro can achieve 15 bars of pressure, it's optimized for 9-10 bars, which is generally considered ideal for brewing espresso.

During my tests, the machine brewed consistently excellent shots using both the manual lever and the presets. The only disappointing shot I had came when the water tank was starting to run low, but not low enough to generate a refill alert. The Mini Pro brewed a shot, but the gauge showed that it hadn't generated enough pressure, and the resulting coffee tasted dry and under-extracted. It was very useful to have an early warning that it was a bad shot before I added milk, so I could refill the tank and try again.

I was also surprised just how quiet the Smeg Mini Pro was in use, with the pump reaching only 33dB while pulling a shot – similar to the murmuring of a quiet library.

You'll receive an alert when the 1-liter water tank needs refilling (Image credit: Future)

The steam wand is excellent, and is the thing I'll miss most now that I've finished testing the Smeg Mini Pro. Its dial allows you to increase the pressure smoothly so you don't end up with milk sprayed onto your kitchen counters (something that sometimes happens with my Gaggia Classic). The large capacity of the water tank means you can also keep steaming for much longer than you can with the little Gaggia, giving you plenty of time to achieve your preferred milk texture and temperature. The dial is large and tactile, with a super smooth motion as you adjust the intensity of the steam.

Smeg hasn't skimped with the accessories either. The 2.3in / 58mm diameter tamper is nicely weighted, and even the dishwasher-safe milk pitcher is excellent. with a shape that makes it easy to achieve a good whirlpool.

Overall, making coffee with the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Machine is a real pleasure. I'd just expect a little more customization from a product costing almost as much as a commercial model.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine? Buy it if

You love Smeg's style

This is a gorgeous espresso machine, and the design accounts for a lot of its high asking price.

You value choice

It's up to you whether you use the two preset buttons or the Smeg Mini Pro's lever to pull a shot, and you can use whichever you're in the mood for.

Don't buy it if

Value is key

This is a very expensive espresso machine, even by Smeg's premium standards. If your budget is more modest, take a look at the excellent Breville Bambino Plus – a compact model that's a fraction if the price and earned four and a half stars in our review.

Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine: also consider

Not sure about the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Machine? Here are two other options to consider

Smeg BCC13

This fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine is in the same family as the Mini Pro, and gives excellent results if you want a decent cup of coffee with minimal hassle. Unlike the BCC12, this model also has an auto milk frother - no manual steaming necessary.

Read our full Smeg BCC13 review

Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello+

This is a step closer to being a commercial-grade espresso machine, and offers some features you don't get with the Smeg Mini Pro, such as a heat exchange boiler so you can brew and steam simultaneously.

Read our full Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello+ review

How I tested the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Coffee Machine

I used the Smeg Mini Pro Espresso Machine instead of my usual Gaggia Classic for four weeks, typically using it two or three times a day. I usually brewed standard 60ml double-shot espressos at 92C.

I used fresh coffee beans from Clifton Coffee Roasters, ground using a Dualit burr grinder, and filtered tap water. I tested the steam wand using chilled whole dairy milk and oat milk.

For more details, take a look at how we test, review, and rate at TechRadar.

First reviewed January 2025

Cannon denied a motion by President-elect Donald Trump's former co-defendants who sought to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on the election interference case.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb/Eva Marie Uzcategui)

Improve your overall energy levels and mood with these vitamins.

The Duchess of Sussex pushed back the release to "focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state," according to a statement released this week.

• Tencent Sunday Dragon 3D One was unveiled at CES 2025, featuring an 11-inch screen
• Features Intel's Lunar Lake processor, similar to MSI's Claw 8 AI+
• It's still a prototype as of now, and may never even launch

Lenovo and MSI may have stolen the show when it came to gaming handhelds at CES 2025, but there's one that went under the radar that has a few tricks up its sleeve that could let it compete with the upcoming heavy hitters - if it even releases, that is.

Tencent's Sunday Dragon 3D One is an 11-inch handheld gaming PC, that boasts a glasses-free 3D display using Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V processor (also used in the new MSI Claw 8 AI+). The Chinese gaming company claims it will be the "world's first glasses-free 3D gaming handheld" - although I’d assert that this isn't the case, as the Nintendo 3DS rightfully holds that particular crown.

Aside from its processor, resolution, and 3D capabilities, the 3D One appears almost identical to the upcoming Acer Nitro Blaze 11 - both handhelds feature an 11-inch display which may very well turn out to be way too big for a handheld gaming device.

It's worth noting that there is no word on the 3D One's price or availability, and that's because it may never make it out of its prototype phase according to Tencent's press release (as relayed by Techspot).

While it would be disappointing to never see this device's release come to fruition, the Blaze 11 will still be around to showcase how ludicrous or useful an 11-inch display is for a handheld gaming PC.

(Image credit: Techspot) Is this handheld prototype worth keeping an eye on?

Considering the chances of the Sunday Dragon 3D One never seeing the light of day on the market, I would suggest maintaining focus on other handhelds going forward: notably MSI, Lenovo, and potentially Asus' offerings. Not only is the 3D One just a prototype right now, but Tencent is currently being added to the US government's list of companies that are working with the Chinese military - long story short, the chances of this new handheld making its way to the US market are vanishingly slim.

In the hopes that it does launch, this would likely be direct competition against Acer's own 11-inch Blaze handheld and MSI's new Claw 8 AI+, which has been shown to provide fantastic performance at low wattage (power usage) in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Black Myth: Wukong with Intel's Lunar Lake chip.

Regardless, I hope to see 11 inches become a hard limit for handheld gaming PCs - as any higher would be simply ridiculous.

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• Researcher uncovers method to hack the ACE3 USB-C Controller
• This is a critical component used for charging and data transfer for Apple devices
• Apple deemed the attack too complex to present a threat

The ACE3 USB-C controller, a proprietary Apple technology used for charging and data transfer for iPhones, Macs, and other devices, can be hacked to allow malicious actors to run unauthorized activities. Exploiting this vulnerability to do actual damage is a bit of a stretch, though.

At the recent 38th Chaos Communication Congress took place in Hamburg, Germany, white hat hacker Thomas Roth demonstrated hacking this critical component. He reverse-engineered the ACE3 controller, exposing the internal firmware and communication protocols. He then reprogrammed the controller, which gave him the ability to bypass security checks, inject malicious commands, and run other unauthorized actions.

Roth said the vulnerability stems from insufficient safeguards in the firmware of the controller, which would allow a threat actor to gain low-level access, then be used to emulate trusted accessories, and more.

Attack complexity

Roth said he notified Apple of the issue, but the company said the bug was too complex to exploit.

He seems to agree with this assessment, as speaking to Forbes, Roth said Apple, “saw the attack complexity and said that they don't see it as a threat - I agree with that sentiment but wanted to at least have reported it!”

“This is essentially foundational research, the first steps that are needed to find other attacks on the chip,” Roth concluded.

It doesn’t mean the security industry should completely ignore, or forget about Roth’s findings, as it could have major implications for Apple device security, since ACE3’s integrations with internal systems means compromising it could potentially lead to further attacks.

In any case, the Android ecosystem is not affected by this flaw.

Via SiliconANGLE

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