When we think about hackers, we’re usually concerned about thieves getting their hands on our personal information, right? Stuff like bank account logins, social security numbers, credit cards… Those are the kinds of things we’re getting better about safeguarding online because we’ve seen time and time again what happens when we leave our digital back door open. But there’s one thing that is much more personal than bank account login details that we haven’t really talked about being vulnerable to hackers: App-connected sex toys.
AJ Dellinger of The Daily Dot reported on a demonstration done by security firm Trend Micro, which showed that app-connected sex toys are disturbingly easy to hack. The firm used an app-connected vibrator (although they didn’t specify which one) as a very striking example of how the growing popularity the Internet of Things is making people vulnerable to hackers in ways they’ve never been before — including in the bedroom.
While the vibrator was undoubtedly used for shock value (and so that places like The Daily Dot would write about their demonstration, which I have to admit is a smooth press move), I’m glad that Trend Micro chose that particular tool of the many potential IoT tools out there for their demonstration because, frankly, I’d never really thought about the fact that these toys could be hacked. I know, I know — rookie mistake, especially for a tech writer. I’d thought about it for IoT devices in the home, especially anything specifically security-related, but I think it’s easy to get swept up the excitement and fun of app-connected sex toys and forget that they too are vulnerable.
So here’s what happened at the computer expo CeBIT, as reported by The Daily Dot. For the sake of the demonstration, Trend Micro’s CTO Raimund Genes wrote a couple of lines of code and then used the default pin for bluetooth devices — 0000 — to take over the vibrator. From that point, they could control the toy in exactly the same way that the app did. And if that’s not disturbing enough, Genes noted that the same could be done without any coding at all.
“This was possible because there were no security measures preventing us from accessing the device,” Schneider told The Daily Dot. “The device was always visible via bluetooth and always in pairing mode.”
Fucking. Terrifying.
As a woman, the idea of someone being able to take over my sex toy without my consent sends shivers up my spine. Women, trans women, and feminine-presenting non-binary people already know what it is to live with a near constant fear of sexual assault and the idea that now there’s a straight up new kind of sexual assault possible is terrifying and demoralizing. Like, fuck, seriously?? Seriously?
Now, of course it’s important to note that, as far as we know, this hasn’t happened yet. However, as anyone who follows sex tech knows, there aren’t a whole lot of app connected sex toys out there yet and it’s not like the ones that do exist are even close to the majority of the sex toy market. This issue, then, is still largely hypothetical and one that I hope the many extremely intelligent people who care about pleasure — and women, and consent — will rectify before it becomes a reality.
Image: Topher McCulloch/Flickr
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