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In 2024, two UC Santa Cruz students reported that they could send unauthorized commands to CSC ServiceWorks laundry machines through the CSC Go app’s API, even when their account had no funds. They also demonstrated an app balance of several million dollars—but it was only a displayed balance, not real money. Their account described an app/API flaw, not a physical coin-slot bypass, and does not establish that the vulnerability is exploitable today.
Could the researchers really start CSC laundry machines for free?
According to TechCrunch’s May 2024 report, Alexander Sherbrooke and Iakov Taranenko demonstrated that they could issue commands to CSC-operated laundry machines without funds in their CSC Go account. The machine was made ready to run a cycle, but someone still had to press its physical start button.
The researchers also showed an apparent balance worth several million dollars in the app. That was a manipulated account display, not money they had deposited or could spend as cash.
How did the CSC Go app hack work?
The reported weakness was in the CSC Go API—the server interface the app uses to communicate with CSC’s systems. The students said they examined network traffic while using the app and found that security checks performed on the device were trusted by CSC’s servers instead of being independently validated there. They then sent commands directly to the servers.
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That distinction matters: a client-side check can be altered or bypassed when a server accepts the app’s word about a user’s balance or authorization. The incident was not a universal way to hack washing machines, and the reporting does not describe a demonstrated attack on a machine’s physical coin mechanism.
The students said they did not know whether their API commands could bypass machine safety restrictions. The report therefore does not show that overheating or fire protections were defeated.
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Were millions of machines affected?
TechCrunch reported that CSC touted a network of more than one million laundry machines at hotels, university campuses, and residences across the United States, Canada, and Europe. That was the company’s stated network scale in the 2024 story; it was not an independently audited count of machines, nor proof that every machine in the network was vulnerable to the demonstrated exploit.
Did CSC fix the vulnerability?
The researchers said they contacted CSC in January 2024 and also reported the issue to Carnegie Mellon University’s CERT Coordination Center. TechCrunch said CSC had not responded before the story was first published. After publication, CSC apologized for its delayed response. In a statement reported by TechCrunch and added to the story on May 22, 2024, CSC vice president of marketing Stephen Gilbert said the company “worked closely with our supplier vendors to rectify this issue.”
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That statement records CSC’s response, but it is not independent confirmation that a particular fix was completed or remains effective. CSC’s current CSC GO help page describes the service as a touchless laundry experience in equipped laundry rooms; it does not establish the status of the reported API flaw. The reviewed sources do not verify whether the vulnerability is fixed today.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the incident matters beyond laundry
The useful security lesson is about where authorization happens. An app can provide a convenient interface and run checks on a user’s device, but a server should independently verify that an account is entitled to perform each requested action. A balance shown on a screen is not proof of funds, and a request from an official app is not, by itself, proof that the user is authorized.
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The report also illustrates why responsible disclosure needs a usable route to the organization responsible for a service. Taranenko told TechCrunch, “I just don’t get how a company that large makes those types of mistakes, then has no way of contacting them.” His remark concerned the difficulty of reporting the issue.
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