Editor-DN
Beware of sex toy hackers, UK government warns
Four years ago I reported on how hackers can Lock the chastity belt remotely. with potentially disastrous consequences. The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has warned that remote sex toys are a turn-on for hackers and can “cause physical and psychological harm” to their victims.
Risk of sex toy hacking
Research commissioned by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has detailed how remote control sex toys, particularly those with Bluetooth connectivity, are vulnerable to malicious third-party attacks or interference. are weak. This research, originally published in March 2023, has been picked up by a number of people for some unknown reason. The media Outlets Again on January 11. Which is reason enough for me to once again warn consumers of the dangers they may not realize they are exposing themselves and their loved ones to.
gave ResearchDr. Mark Cote, Dr. William Seymour, Dr. Jennifer Pybus and Dalia Mariassin conducted “A Review on the Risks and Psychological Harms Presented by Consumer IoT Products.” While this includes everything from baby toys to fitness trackers and even smart light bulbs, it’s the sex toys segment that’s garnering the most interest right now.
Warning that sex toys have “multiple risks and attack surfaces,” with the “clear potential to cause physical and psychological harm to unsuspecting users,” the researchers pointed to those with Bluetooth connectivity to the companion app as the most vulnerable. There is more risk. “Often these connections are not encrypted,” he said, “thus making them more vulnerable to attack and/or interception by malicious third parties.”
Not that this is the only threat. There is also an attack surface from insecure intermediaries involved in remote control functionality, such as third parties Application programming interface be taken into account.
So, what risks does the report address? When it comes to psychological damages, they are said to apply if Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Data is exploited, while physical damage can occur from “overheating the device” or locking the aforementioned device with a ransom note.
Reducing the risk of sex toy hacking
My advice to anyone using a sex toy is to ask if they really need to connect it to an app to get the pleasure they want and if doing so is really worth the risk of hacking, even if No matter how trivial it is. If you need this remote connectivity, make sure you update the device itself and the smartphone you connect to in terms of software and firmware to further reduce this risk.
