Remote-controlled sex toys could be hacked to harm users, the UK government has warned

The UK government has warned that sex toys that use Bluetooth could be vulnerable to hacking by malicious third parties.

Remote sex toys are designed to allow a device to be used in one location while being controlled by someone in another location.

Research by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology says cyber attacks can also cause physical damage such as overheating of the device.

Harm may also be caused by disclosing sensitive personal information such as names, sexual orientation or gender, lists of sexual partners, device usage information, or intimate photos and videos. These can be accessed through apps that control the devices, the research says.

The research says the combination of sex toys and technologies has multiple vulnerabilities that show “a clear potential to cause physical and psychological harm to unsuspecting consumers.”

Vulnerabilities include Bluetooth connectivity, which associates the device with a companion app.

The study added: “Sex toys, or ‘sexology’, are a combination of sex and technology, with multiple vulnerabilities and attack levels that demonstrate a clear capacity to inflict physical and psychological harm on unsuspecting consumers.”

Key technical vulnerabilities include their BLE [Bluetooth low energy] A connection that associates a mobile application with a smart device.

“Often these connections are not encrypted, thereby making them more vulnerable to attack and/or interception by malicious third parties.”

A sex toy with remote control (Allami / P)

Based on this research, the future concerns revolve around virtual reality and sex robots based on artificial intelligence.

“Future concerns about sexism will increasingly revolve around the capabilities of virtual reality and artificial intelligence-based sex robots, equipped with cameras, microphones and artificial intelligence voice analysis, all of which must protect against physical and psychological harm,” the statement said. may be protected.”

Connected sex toys, FemTech, various apps, devices and sensors aimed at improving women’s health, and smart children’s toys are among the devices that are “more regulated and therefore insufficiently secure” and “collect extremely sensitive data and therefore have They are of high value. This research adds: the risk of harm to users, including psychological harm.

Vulnerabilities in children’s smart toys include devices pairing without authentication, meaning anyone within range with a Bluetooth device can pair with a toy to work with a microphone or camera.