Users of Orqa FPV goggles have experienced their devices suddenly going into bootloader mode and becoming unusable. A Croatian manufacturing company has reported that the devices were sabotaged by a former contractor who deliberately planted a “code bomb” in the firmware.
The issue was discovered when users of the FPV.One (V1) goggles started complaining about their devices not working last weekend. The glasses went into bootloader mode, rendering them unusable.
The manufacturer reported that the issue was a firmware error related to the date and time. After receiving messages from pilots in Japan and Turkey, the developers discovered on Saturday morning that the mysterious issue was the result of an extortionate time bomb planted in the bootloader by a former contractor.
The contractor had apparently been doing business with Orqa over the past years, hoping to receive a larger ransom as the company grew and its market share increased. The contractor has since published an “unauthorized binary” that supposedly fixes the bug that blocks FPV.One goggles. However, the company warns customers not to install this unofficial firmware.
Orqa has released an updated official firmware and published detailed instructions for “resuscitating” affected devices. The company has also warned users of the risks associated with installing potentially dangerous firmware on their devices.
