A vibrator or sex toy linked to an app could become an unexpected weapon capable of maiming and injuring, if hackers tap into the device while in use and up the toy’s tempo
Hackers could program smart vibrators to maim users, tech boffs are warning. Experts say remote sex toys and the apps used to control their speeds are vulnerable to being “weaponised”.
Warnings about flaws in the “sexnologies” came in a report commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It says kinky products including remote-controlled vibrators and the apps paired with them – which let couples manipulate their settings – carry a huge risk of “physical and psychological harm” being inflicted on users.
The report added about how hackers could end up controlling vibrators’ speeds while they were being used: “The vulnerable pairing methods can make it easier to set up man-in-the-middle attacks.
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“Consequently, an attacker has the capability of intercepting a user’s device. “The intensity of its vibration could then be changed and/or commanded remotely, causing significant physical harm.
“The potential for new kinds of sexual harassment, physical harm and potential for privacy violations all represent the key psychological harms that might be affiliated with these devices.”
Many of the connections between vibrators and phones is not encrypted, experts found.
The report also warned about apps that let couples indulge in X-rated exchanges: “There is little safeguarding of the sensitive data that the end-user chooses to disclose.
“There is no easy option to delete the chats that they might have on their companion apps, no way to easily disable the screen-capture features and no option to strip the sensitive data that might make it easy for malicious users to access email addresses and other personally identifiable data.”
The report also raised the alarm about “femtech” apps – which help women track their health and periods – also being open to misuse and hacking.
It was led by Mark Coté, a reader in data and society at King’s College London.
But the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology insisted: “The UK already has one of the most robust product security regimes in the world and research can help us identify new areas of vulnerability.
“We are committed to continue to bolster cyber-defences to protect British people.”
Cybersecurity experts have also warned sex robots could one day rise up and kill their owners in Westworld-style attacks if hackers got inside their heads.