Remote-controlled sex toys could be ‘weaponised’ by hackers as they don’t use encrypted connections with smart phones, according to a concerning new government report
Hackers could “weaponise” remote-controlled sex toys and cause “physical and psychological harm” to users, according to experts.
A report commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has raised fears over the potential for cyber criminals to bypass security on app-controlled vibrators and alter their intensity. It comes as sales of so-called “sexnologies” have skyrocketed in recent years.
The report found the connections between sex toys and smart phones are often not encrypted, making them vulnerable to cyber attacks. It also found that apps used to control sex toys often store sensitive information on third-party servers, which are also vulnerable to hacking.
According to the report, the worst-case scenario would be a hacker managing to take control of a sex toy while it was being used. The report stated: “The vulnerable pairing methods can make it easier to set up man-in-the-middle attacks.
“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.”
Moreover, the same report also found that period-tracking apps are vulnerable to hackers and have few safeguards protecting women’s sensitive information.
Mark Coté, reader in data and society at King’s College London who led the research, told The Times: “From phones, to watches, to intimate items, smart tech is now incredibly wide-ranging. But from a policy point of view, we have not really thought through some of the privacy consequences and potential for misuse of some of these devices.
“If you take sex toys – these are extraordinarily intimate items and come with risks which many users may not be aware of. For example they may have system vulnerabilities which could allow data and images to be hacked or even potentially allow unauthorised remote access and control. The more intimate the data, the more intimate the harm.”
