Maybe you don’t really need a Wi-Fi-connected sex toy

[crazy-mike]

http://www.salon.com/2017/04/05/mayb...ected-sex-toy/

A hackable dildo is the latest example of why the internet of things can be a "buyer, beware" world

The internet of things is gaining a lot of attention these days as this growing network of internet- and Wi-Fi-enabled products are increasingly showing up in homes and bedrooms. This technology lets you do things like print messages on toast, remotely control a pet door with a mobile phone and read today’s weather forecast from a bathroom mirror.

But cybersecurity experts are warning the spread of internet of things devices in consumer products is moving too rapidly as companies scramble to gain a lead in the nascent market for connected home products, leading to an increasing number of software vulnerabilities that pose considerable threats to consumer privacy.

This week, U.K. cybersecurity services provider Pen Test Partners shed light on a particularly prurient internet of things vulnerability in the Svakom Siime Eye, a $250 sex toy equipped with an internet-connected camera that lets users stream a dildo’s eye view of masturbation via the internet to another person’s smartphone.

Because of the way the Siime Eye’s software was designed, anyone within Wi-Fi range could potentially hack his or her way into the system and watch right footage along with the person the feed was intended for. With a little extra work, a hacker could also take control of the firmware and even broadcast the feed to the web for anyone to see.

Cybersecurity researcher Ken Munro at Pen Test Partners, which identified the vulnerability, said security issues with connected devices tend to originate from their accompanying mobile apps. “But in this particular case [Svakom] made a really unusual choice in the way the sex toy was put together with Wi-Fi,” Munro told Salon via Skype. “By default it set itself up as an access point not a wireless client, a bit like your Wi-Fi router at home. This is really unusual for an [internet of things] device and the root cause of the problem.”

[crazy-mike]

The news of the sex toy hack came just weeks after vulnerabilities were found in connected CloudPets stuffed toys, which led to the leak of emails and passwords of a half million CloudPets customers. In addition German authorities warned against the use of the connected voice-controlled Cayla doll made by Genesis Toys contains a software flaw could allow hackers to eavesdrop on conversations, according to news reports. Last month Standard Innovation, the Canadian maker of an internet-connected sex toy called We-Vibe agreed to spend $5 million to settle a U.S. civil class action lawsuit for collecting data from customers, such as the time, date and duration of use, level of vibration intensity and device temperature.

[crazy-mike]

“I love the internet of things. There are amazing opportunities, such as helping people in assisted living conditions, the disabled and the elderly and with medical devices,” Munro said. “But I’d say to consumers, Do you actually need that thing? Are you buying it because it’s a gadget or are you buying it because you need it? Be a little wary and exercise consumer caution.”