Kiwis hack into cyber sex toys, reveal frisky risks

Hackers could exploit the web connection which links up to an app. Photo / 123RF

Not even your vibrator is safe from hackers - who could take it over remotely.

Two Kiwi experts have warned that the new generation of dildos are vulnerable because they are connected to the Internet.

At the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas the two New Zealand hackers, who are known as Goldfisk and Followr, said that they were concerned for the two million people who used devices by the vibrator's manufacturer, a US company called Standard Innovation.

They said that hackers could exploit the web connection which links up to an app and allows your partner to pleasure you from anywhere in the world.

Hacking a vibrator raises the prospect of a total stranger being in control during a person's most intimate moment.

Computer security researchers said that such a hack could constitute a sexual assault if it were to take place.

At a conference the pair revealed that they were concerned about the We-Vibe 4 Plus, a vibrator that connects to a smartphone app that, its makers say, "allows couples to keep their flame ignited - together or apart."

The device, which is described as the "No1 couples vibrator" can be used remotely such as during a video call or whilst texting.

According to The Guardian : "A lot of people in the past have said it's not really a serious issue, but if you come back to the fact that we're talking about people, unwanted activation of a vibrator is potentially sexual assault."

Another concern was the data being sent back to Standard Innovation could be stolen.

This includes minute by minute temperature changes on the device from which hackers can work out when it is being used - and when the user is pleasuring themselves.

Goldfisk said: "What are the implications of who they're going to give that data to."

The We-Vibe 4 Plus costs £104 ($135) and has 10 modes to choose from including "pulse," "wave," "surf," "peak' and "cha-cha-cha".

It is compatible with iPhone 4s phones or newer devices, Android phones and either wireless or cellular data connection.

In a statement Standard Innovation said data that the vibrator sends data back to the company is solely for "diagnostic purposes."

The company's president, Frank Ferrari, said: "Any changes in the temperature are not significant or noticeable enough to indicate the location of the product.

"Data is only collected when the app is in use."