**VicOne Brings DEF CON Research to Robotics Cyber-Safety Testing in Simulation**
Robotics developers now have a new way to test for cybersecurity risks before deploying physical robots, thanks to a new tool from VicOne. The company has released a free extension for NVIDIA Isaac Sim, built from insights gathered at the recent DEF CON 34 conference. This move highlights how critical cybersecurity validation is becoming as robots move from controlled labs to widespread real-world operations.
The VicOne Radeis Extension for NVIDIA Isaac Sim allows developers to import their own robot models and run curated attack scenarios within a simulated environment. This enables teams to see how digital compromises—such as manipulated visual inputs, hijacked commands, poisoned AI policies, or exploited connected interfaces—could affect a robot’s behavior before a single unit ships. By translating real-world hacking research into repeatable simulation tests, VicOne aims to shift security testing earlier in the development lifecycle.
At DEF CON 34, VicOne hosted a Physical AI Safety Stress Test Capture The Flag (CTF) event with the Robotic Hacking Community. Researchers from 16 teams successfully solved 25 challenges across multiple robot platforms, including Reachy Mini and LeKiwi. The exercise exposed vulnerabilities across perception layers, AI models, cloud APIs, and embedded systems. According to VicOne, even “unsuccessful” attacks provided valuable insight into potential attack paths and assumptions that need hardening.
“Robotics companies are moving from proving individual use cases to deploying robots at scale in real-world environments,” said Max Cheng, CEO of VicOne. “As that shift accelerates, the industry must validate not only whether robots function as designed, but whether they remain reliable when the digital systems they depend on are compromised.”
The extension is designed to integrate directly into existing Isaac Sim workflows. Developers can apply scenario-based tests informed by DEF CON research and observe how robots react to adversarial conditions. This helps teams identify whether a vision-language model (VLM) can resist deceptive visual prompts or if sensor manipulation leads to unsafe decisions. Because the tool supports custom robot models, it moves beyond generic test environments and allows evaluation of system-specific risk.
VicOne positions this offering as part of a broader cyber-safety validation strategy. For organizations that need more than scenario testing, VicOne Radeis provides assessment of component, system, and AI model risks, along with remediation planning and compliance support. The company says it has already uncovered more than 180 zero-day vulnerabilities across automotive and robotics systems, underscoring the scale of the challenge.
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### FAQ
**What is the VicOne Radeis Extension for NVIDIA Isaac Sim?**
It is a free tool that lets developers test how cyberattacks could affect their robot models in a simulated environment. The extension uses insights from DEF CON research to create repeatable, behavior-focused security tests.
**Who can use the extension?**
The extension is available to developers using supported versions of NVIDIA Isaac Sim. Robotics teams, OEMs, and system integrators can import their own robot models and tasks for testing.
**What types of attacks can be tested?**
The extension supports scenarios involving adversarial visual prompts, malicious inputs, sensor manipulation, hijacked commands, poisoned AI policies, and compromised connected interfaces.
**Why is simulation important for robot cybersecurity?**
Simulation allows teams to evaluate risks before physical deployment, reduces costs, and helps identify system-level vulnerabilities that may not appear in isolated component testing.
**Does the extension replace other security testing?**
No. It is designed to complement existing functional, safety, and security testing by adding a cyber-safety validation layer focused on real-world robot behavior.
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### Conclusion
As robotics continue to scale into complex, real-world environments, the line between digital and physical safety becomes increasingly blurred. VicOne’s extension for NVIDIA Isaac Sim brings DEF CON-level research into the hands of developers, enabling them to test not just whether a robot works, but whether it remains safe when attacked. By making behavior-based cyber-safety testing accessible and repeatable, VicOne is helping ensure that the next generation of robots can be both capable and resilient.
