Beware the bidet: High-tech toilets vulnerable to hacking attacks

Is nothing sacred? It appears that even in the comfort of your own bathroom, you can be the subject of a hacking attack.

And not just for those people who bring their smartphones with them to the bathroom. There are reports that high-tech toilets in Japan can actually be hacked, and controlled by an outside user.

According to information security firm Trustwave, the Satis toilets made by Inax have a Bluetooth security vulnerability that would allow an unauthorized user to control the toilet.

Ars Technica reports that the Satis can be controlled remotely using the My Satis app for Android over a Bluetooth connection. The PIN to pair the app with the toilet is hard-coded into the app as “0000,” though, which makes it possible for anyone to pair the app on their phone with the toilet.

[ Related: Now you can control your hotel room with your smartphone ]

There are limitations, however, that would prevent hackers from controlling your toilet from wherever they are. The person would have to be within range of your toilet at some point in order to pair the device, and if you’re in the habit of letting strange hacker-types coming into your home to use your bathroom, it might be time to re-evaluate your neighbourly ways. It has more potential to be a mean-spirited sibling prank than a widespread epidemic of fancy toilets attacking their owners.

Still, the prospect of having someone other than you control your toilet is more than a little off-putting. Trustwave warns in their advisory: “An attacker could simply download the ‘My Satis’ application and use it to cause the toilet to repeatedly flush, raising the water usage and therefore utility cost to its owner. Attackers could cause the unit to unexpectedly open/close the lid, [or] activate bidet or air-dry functions causing discomfort or distress to user.”

Normally, this is where I’d give you some advice on how to protect yourself from getting hacked. In this case… maybe the world just isn’t ready for a toilet you can control with your phone.

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