Without a doubt, hoverboards are the latest fad. Hoverboards are indeed very useful as these aren’t only easy to use but make traveling so much fun. The recent trend of trying to make every device internet connection has not spared hoverboards; they even come with rider applications.
The app allows the user to perform cool tasks like modifying the colors of light, controlling the hoverboard remotely and checking the remaining battery life and mileage. Resultantly, the latter half of 2016 recorded an unprecedented surge in the use of smart hoverboards. However, this is exactly why hoverboards are not very safe to be used anymore.
According to the latest research from IOActive, a renowned and reliable cyber-security firm, the Segway MiniPro “self-balancing personal transporter” can be hacked through a Bluetooth connection. IOActive’s security researcher Thomas Kilbride said that it is possible to control the device without using any “special hardware” from a 30feet distance.
On the other hand, with special hardware, hackers can control the scooter from hundreds of feet away. The damage caused by this vulnerability is also quite serious. Apart from putting the rider in danger, hackers can identify the location of other riders using the app and control more than one hoverboard simultaneously.
Segway MiniPro quasi-hoverboard is the current favorite among consumers and riders. It lets the rider control the scooter using the official app. However, it is quite upsetting that the firmware is vulnerable to hacking simply through Bluetooth. As per IOActive research, the scooter can be hacked while it is in use by the rider.
IOActive informed Segway about the vulnerability in its app back in January after which the maker introduced another version of its official app in April.