A British Columbia government security bulletin dated July 25, 2024 reported that a Meeting Owl tethering-mode vulnerability was being exploited in the wild. The bulletin also recounted a CISA instruction to federal agencies to address the issue by June 22, 2022; it was not a CISA-authored Owl Labs advisory. The reported tethering flaw involved a device in close physical range and network-traffic routing, not established remote exploitation over the public internet.
What the reported attacks involved
The Government of British Columbia bulletin describes Meeting Owl Pro and Whiteboard Owl operating in Wi-Fi access-point, or tethering, mode. In that mode, the devices could route network traffic. The bulletin says the flaw involved hard-coded credentials, “hoothoot,” and reports that exploitation was occurring in the wild. It says Owl Labs began rolling out patches on June 22, 2022 to disable traffic routing in tethering mode. Read the Government of British Columbia technical bulletin.
The proximity context matters: the bulletin’s account concerns access to the device’s tethering setup, rather than demonstrating that an attacker could exploit it remotely from anywhere on the internet. The source does not establish a number of affected users or devices.
Which products and vulnerabilities are involved?
The product family is Owl Labs Meeting Owl, with Meeting Owl Pro specifically named in the National Vulnerability Database entry for CVE-2022-31461. The British Columbia bulletin also names Whiteboard Owl in its discussion of the tethering-mode traffic-routing problem.
#1 Best Overall
- ENGAGING HYBRID COLLABORATION. The Meeting Owl 3 is an all-in-one video conferencing device that captures 360° video in 1080p HD and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m) away. Automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation while showing a 360° view of the room.
- AWARD-WINNING INTELLIGENCE. Features the award-winning and proprietary Owl Intelligence System, which uses visual and audio cues to automatically focus on and capture the best view of in-room speakers so remote participants can engage and participate in hybrid discussions effectively and productively.
- EASY DEPLOYMENT. Go from unboxing to your first meeting in 6 min with our plug-and-play USB device. IT admins can seamlessly manage their fleet of devices from our management tool, The Nest, via bulk registration, default settings management, and more.
- SMALL TO LARGE ROOM COVERAGE. The flexibility of the Owl Labs ecosystem is unmatched. Pair two Meeting Owls, a Meeting Owl and an Owl Bar, or add an Expansion Mic to expand video and audio reach in larger spaces. Compatible with Owl Labs’ Whiteboard Owl to complete your hybrid room setup.
- UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE. Certified for Microsoft Teams. Compatible with most web-based video conferencing platforms, including Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, and many others.
CVE-2022-31461: passcode protection
NVD describes CVE-2022-31461 as an issue in Meeting Owl 5.2.0.15 that could let attackers deactivate passcode protection through a “c 11 message.” Its record lists Meeting Owl Pro firmware versions below 5.4.2.3 as affected. The record was modified June 17, 2026, so owners should consult the live entry for any later changes to affected-version information. See NVD’s CVE-2022-31461 entry.
CVE-2022-31460: tethering traffic passthrough
Owl Labs says it resolved CVE-2022-31460 on June 6, 2022 by disabling network-traffic passthrough while Meeting Owl Pro was in Wi-Fi access-point tethering mode. The British Columbia bulletin’s account of in-the-wild exploitation concerns the tethering-mode problem; it should not be conflated with the separate passcode issue simply because both affect Meeting Owl products.
Rank #2
- ENGAGING HYBRID COLLABORATION - NOW IN 4K. The Meeting Owl 4+ is an all-in-one video conferencing device that captures 360° video in 4K and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m). Automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation while showing a 360° view of the room.
- AWARD-WINNING INTELLIGENCE. Features the award-winning and proprietary Owl Intelligence System, which uses visual and audio cues to automatically focus on and capture the best view of in-room speakers so remote participants can engage and participate in hybrid discussions effectively and productively.
- EASY DEPLOYMENT. Go from unboxing to your first meeting in 6 min with our plug-and-play USB device. IT admins can seamlessly manage their fleet of devices from our management tool, The Nest, via bulk registration, default settings management, and more.
- SMALL TO LARGE ROOM COVERAGE. The flexibility of the Owl Labs ecosystem is unmatched. Pair two Meeting Owls, a Meeting Owl and an Owl Bar, or add an Expansion Mic to expand video and audio reach in larger spaces. Compatible with Owl Labs’ Whiteboard Owl to complete your hybrid room setup.
- ENTERPRISE FEATURES. Includes enterprise WiFi connection, built-in Kensington lock, and power over ethernet connection via adapter.
What Owl Labs said it fixed
Owl Labs cofounder and CTO Mark Schnittman wrote on June 3, 2022: “Today we are sharing that we’ve identified, and have resolved, security issues associated with the Meeting Owl.” The company’s release notes say version 5.4.2.3, released June 23, 2022, addressed CVE-2022-31459, CVE-2022-31461, CVE-2022-31462, and CVE-2022-31463. The same page says version 5.4.3.4, released July 22, 2022, addressed all recently identified vulnerabilities. These are historical remediation statements, not confirmation of the currently supported firmware version. Owl Labs’ June 3 statement and product release notes provide the company’s account.
Owl Labs also said the likelihood customers had been affected was low. That is the vendor’s qualitative assessment; no independent impact count or percentage is established in the cited materials.
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Rank #3
- BETTER COLLABORATION. The Meeting Owl 3 captures 360° video in 1080p HD and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m). Automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation, while showing a 360° view of the room.
- PLUG AND PLAY SIMPLICITY. Go from unboxing to your first meeting in <7 min. Simply plug in the power and USB, launch your preferred video conferencing platform, and start your meeting. Easily manage meetings through desktop, mobile or tablet apps.
- UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE. Compatible with virtually all web-based video conferencing platforms, including Zoom, GoToMeeting, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, BlueJeans, and many others.
- SMARTER OVER TIME. Features the newest Owl Intelligence SystemTM, which focuses on people 4x faster. WiFI-enabled to get software upgrades and enhancements delivered over-the-air.
- ADAPTS TO ANY SPACE. Pair two Meeting Owls or add an Expansion Mic to expand video and audio reach in larger spaces. Compatible with Owl Labs’ Whiteboard Owl and Meeting HQ to complete your hybrid room setup.
How to protect a Meeting Owl
- Identify the device and its firmware. Check the Meeting Owl Pro or Whiteboard Owl in use and find its installed firmware version using the device’s current management interface or Owl Labs’ current support guidance.
- Update through Owl Labs’ current instructions. Install the latest firmware the vendor currently supports for that model. Do not assume that the historical 2022 fixed-release numbers are the newest available today.
- Review tethering use. If the device is configured as a Wi-Fi access point, confirm that its firmware includes the traffic-routing fix and follow current Owl Labs guidance for securely configuring or disabling tethering.
- Check vendor advisories if the version is unclear. Firmware support and update steps may differ by model; use the vendor’s current documentation rather than relying on an old release note alone.
Did CISA issue an Owl Labs advisory?
The cited materials do not establish a CISA-authored Owl Labs advisory or an Owl Labs entry in the cited CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog announcement. The July 25, 2024 British Columbia bulletin recounts that CISA had instructed federal agencies to address the issue by June 22, 2022. That is a government bulletin reporting a CISA direction, not the same as a standalone CISA Owl Labs advisory. CISA’s June 16, 2025 announcement concerns two vulnerabilities added to its catalog and does not itself substantiate an Owl Labs advisory. See CISA’s catalog announcement.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- ENGAGING HYBRID COLLABORATION - NOW IN 4K. The Meeting Owl 4+ is an all-in-one video conferencing device that captures 360° video in 4K and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m). Automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation while showing a 360° view of the room.
- AWARD-WINNING INTELLIGENCE. Features the award-winning and proprietary Owl Intelligence System, which uses visual and audio cues to automatically focus on and capture the best view of in-room speakers so remote participants can engage and participate in hybrid discussions effectively and productively.
- EASY DEPLOYMENT. Go from unboxing to your first meeting in 6 min with our plug-and-play USB device. IT admins can seamlessly manage their fleet of devices from our management tool, The Nest, via bulk registration, default settings management, and more.
- SMALL TO LARGE ROOM COVERAGE. The flexibility of the Owl Labs ecosystem is unmatched. Pair two Meeting Owls, a Meeting Owl and an Owl Bar, or add an Expansion Mic to expand video and audio reach in larger spaces. Compatible with Owl Labs’ Whiteboard Owl to complete your hybrid room setup.
- ENTERPRISE FEATURES. Includes enterprise WiFi connection, built-in Kensington lock, and power over ethernet connection via adapter.
Rank #4
- ENGAGING HYBRID COLLABORATION. The Meeting Owl 3 is an all-in-one video conferencing device that captures 360° video in 1080p HD and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m) away. Automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation while showing a 360° view of the room.
- AWARD-WINNING INTELLIGENCE. Features the award-winning and proprietary Owl Intelligence System, which uses visual and audio cues to automatically focus on and capture the best view of in-room speakers so remote participants can engage and participate in hybrid discussions effectively and productively.
- EASY DEPLOYMENT. Go from unboxing to your first meeting in 6 min with our plug-and-play USB device. IT admins can seamlessly manage their fleet of devices from our management tool, The Nest, via bulk registration, default settings management, and more.
- SMALL TO LARGE ROOM COVERAGE. The flexibility of the Owl Labs ecosystem is unmatched. Pair two Meeting Owls, a Meeting Owl and an Owl Bar, or add an Expansion Mic to expand video and audio reach in larger spaces. Compatible with Owl Labs’ Whiteboard Owl to complete your hybrid room setup.
- - UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE. Certified for Microsoft Teams. Compatible with most web-based video conferencing platforms, including Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, and many others.
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