They have a “obvious capacity to inflict physical and psychological harm on unconscious consumers”. This is how remotely connected sex toys are described, in a study carried out by the British Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. These sex toys, designed to be used by one person and controlled by another, are worrying.
For the British ministry, this type of sex toys can potentially be hacked maliciously by a third party, details the British daily The Independent. “The main technical vulnerabilities include their BLE connectivity (Bluetooth Low Energyeither the Low consumption Bluetootheditor’s note) which connects a dedicated application to the smart device. Often, these connections are not encrypted, which exposes them to attacks and/or interception by malicious third parties.warns the study.
Physical damage, but not only
What are the concrete threats and risks identified by the British government? First of all, the study talks about the physical damage caused by these cyberattacks, such as overheating of the device which could endanger users.
Hackers could also obtain, then disclose, sensitive personal information such as names, sexual or gender orientation, list of sexual partners, information on device use or even intimate photos and videos. So much data that could be accessible by the applications that control these devices.
Another point raised by this study, the consequences of virtual reality and sex robots equipped withartificial intelligence (AI) on users. “Future concerns regarding sexnology (contraction of the words “sex” and “technology” to designate sexual devices, editor’s note) increasingly revolve around the capabilities of VR and AI-powered sex robots, which are equipped with cameras, microphones and AI voice analysis, all of which will need to be protected from physical harm and potential psychological consequences.”
Among the devices to monitor very closely are connected sex toys, “femtech” (the various applications, devices and sensors that aim to improve women’s health), as well as smart toys for children. All are part of the devices “under-regulated and therefore under-secure”, Who “collect exceptionally sensitive data and therefore pose a high risk of harm to users, including psychological harm”estimates the study.
Vulnerabilities in children’s smart toys include device pairing without authentication, meaning anyone nearby with a Bluetooth device could pair with a toy to operate a microphone or camera, it concludes. the British ministry.
Source: www.slate.fr
