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Hacked Sex Robots Could Murder People, Security Expert Warns

posted by martyb on Tuesday February 19 2019, @01:59PM   
from the build-a-[fire]-wall! dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Sex robots could be hijacked by hackers and used to cause harm or even kill people, a cybersecurity expert has warned.

Artificial intelligence researchers have consistently warned of the security risks posed by internet-connected robots, with hundreds recently calling on governments to ban weaponized robots.

The latest warning comes from a cybersecurity expert who made the prophecy to several U.K. newspapers.

“Hackers can hack into a robot or a robotic device and have full control of the connections, arms, legs and other attached tools like in some cases knives or welding devices,” Nicholas Patterson, a cybersecurity lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, told the Star.

“Often these robots can be upwards of 200 pounds and very strong. Once a robot is hacked, the hacker has full control and can issue instructions to the robot. The last thing you want is for a hacker to have control over one of these robots. Once hacked they could absolutely be used to perform physical actions for an advantageous scenario or to cause damage.”

https://www.newsweek.com/hacked-sex-robots-could-murder-people-767386

[Yes, the story is "clickbait-y", but the underlying point still remains that remote access to IoT (Internet of Things) devices could wreak havoc. Do any Soylentils have IoT devices and what, if anything, have you done to provide protection from undesired monitoring or tampering? --Ed.]

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Original Submission

• Don't posess IoT shit in the first placeDon't posess IoT shit in the first place (Score: 5, Interesting) by SomeGuy on Tuesday February 19 2019, @02:47PM (3 children)

  by SomeGuy (5632) on Tuesday February 19 2019, @02:47PM (#803470)

  if anything, have you done to provide protection from undesired monitoring or tampering? --Ed.]

  The only way to protect against undesired monitoring/tampering is to not have the IoT devices in the first place. Undesired monitoring/tampering is baked in to the design of most IoT devices. Granted, this undesired monitoring/tampering normally occurs by the IoT device vendor. Hackers are a secondary concern.

  I won't bore you with the details, but I have already had an appliance (I only wish it were a sex robot :P) try to kill me because I insisted on not using its fancy overpriced and invasive IoT controller. The appliance's firmware officially supports use without, but only as a grudging capitulation to say they do. It is baked in to the hardware design/microcontroller to give you the finger and cause serious problems if you don't spend that extra $$$ and let them watch you. Expect to see more of this kind of shit in the future.

  Starting Score:	1		point
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  Interesting=3, Total=3
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• Re:Don't posess IoT shit in the first place(Score: 4, Insightful) by rob_on_earth on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:09PM

  by rob_on_earth (5485) on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:09PM (#803478) Homepage

  bore us. We are ALL interested.

  Parent

• Re:Don't posess IoT shit in the first placeRe:Don't posess IoT shit in the first place (Score: 2) by The Archon V2.0 on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:27PM (1 child)

  by The Archon V2.0 (3887) on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:27PM (#803488)

  > It is baked in to the hardware design/microcontroller to give you the finger

  (...)

  > and let them watch you.

  You're sure you wish it was a sex bot?

  Parent

  • Re:Don't posess IoT shit in the first place(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 19 2019, @05:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 19 2019, @05:50PM (#803565)

    lol, at least the sex bot says right on the label it will rape you up the ass. lol.

    Other IOT things buries that in the EULA.

    Parent