Google disables Xiaomi smart home integration after major security breach

After a user discovered that his Google Nest Hub was showing images from a stranger’s home when he tried to stream from his own Xiaomi security camera, the software giant has disabled any integration between its smart home systems and the Chinese tech manufacturer.

The instance was reported by Reddit user /r/Dio-V and was then picked up by Android Police. The tech news publication reached out to Google and received the following statement: “We’re aware of the issue and are in contact with Xiaomi to work on a fix. In the meantime, we’re disabling Xiaomi integrations on our devices.”

Android Police then clarified that this does indeed mean that all Xiaomi Mi Home integration with Google Assistant has been disabled.

Specifically, /r/Dio-V was trying to view a live stream directly from his Xiaomi Mijia 1080p Smart IP Security Camera on the display of his Google Nest Hub but, instead, was shown a series of still images from other peoples’ homes.

The pictures were monochromatic and were sometimes partially corrupted, but they still showed sleeping children, full views of rooms and other private images in enough clarity to present a major security flaw.

As Xiaomi is yet to comment and an investigation from Google is still underway, it’s currently unclear exactly what occurred to cause the security breach, but we’ll likely find out in the coming days. Until then, users with Xiaomi Mi Home devices won’t be able to use any Google Assistant functionality.