Can someone hack your skateboard? Yes, actually.
If you had to make a list of all the things you owned that you wouldn’t think that you’d need to worry about getting hacked, your skateboard would probably rank quite high up that list.
That may not be the case now, as The Internet of Things continues its dramatic rise into the mainstream, spreading across more and more everyday devices that we take for granted.
And in this case, this means skateboards. It seems the days of a skateboard merely being a strip of wood attached to four wheels are on their way out – now it’s all about remote controlled skateboards that can respond to a remote control via Bluetooth.
And if it uses Bluetooth, it can therefore be susceptible to digital intrusions, which was the case in Melbourne this week when computer engineer Richo Healey was taking his Bluetooth enabled skateboard for a ride before the board cold-stopped, tossing Healey into the sidewalk.
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His skateboard hadn’t been hacked, but Bluetooth interference in the area somehow took over control of the board from his remote and caused the sudden stop.
Healey and security researcher Mike Ryan looked into the incident and found that they could develop an exploit that would allow them to stop any Bluetooth enabled electric skateboard in the same way. They dubbed their exploit – rather aptly – FacePlant.
It is the latest in a string of incidents that illustrate just how The Internet of Things – that is the continuous introduction of everyday devices onto the Internet – can be exploited with potentially dangerous consequences.
Only last month security researchers managed to hack and subsequently control a Jeep Cherokee through a wireless connection resulting in a large scale recall.
And it is another reminder that anything we connect to the Internet – or any network – is at risk of being compromised by digital intruders.
In the case of the skateboards, Healey and Ryan found vulnerabilities in all boards they looked at – including a Boosted board, an E-Go board and a board from manufacturer Revo. In each case they could have potentially applied their exploit to take control of the skateboard.
With more and more devices connecting to the Internet we have to be especially conscious of their security. The history of technology has always been more reactive than pre-emptive in terms of security, and with The Internet of Things firmly taking hold, the stakes have never been higher.
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