Xiaomi chargers have been discontinued because they could be hacked

Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 flagship in mid-February. Also during the event, the company also introduced a new 65W fast charging model using Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. However, the charger has been discontinued on many e-commerce sites in China, with the main reason being due to a potential security breach.

According to the report, Xiaomi's smartphone division has received a risk reminder letter from the third-party security team. The team believes that Xiaomi's 65W fast charger has security holes and is easily exploited for bad purpose.

Specifically, the product uses an eFlash / MTP chip but is not a read-only memory, but also allows data to be written, used to update charging methods and troubleshoot problems if any in the future. However, the firmware is completely unencrypted and hackers can easily modify it.

In other words, hackers can modify the firmware to adjust the output voltage higher than allowed, causing direct impact on electronic devices and even the safety of users. As a result, Xiaomi stopped selling the GaN 65W fast charger on various e-commerce sites, as well as physical stores for emergency reasons.

Notably, users also do not need to worry because smartphones also have overload protection. Therefore, if the voltage exceeds 20V, the overload protection feature will be activated to protect the hardware components inside the smartphone.

However, some peripheral accessories such as headsets may be damaged if the charger is used with an overly high output. Xiaomi is currently trying to fix this problem, and if you accidentally buy the GaN 65W fast charger mentioned above, you can contact Xiaomi customer care for more information.