In the list of reasons as to why you should never set foot on a hoverboard, here’s another one: Cyber-security firm IOActive has managed to discover a way to hijack the Segway MiniPro "self-balancing personal transporter" simply via Bluetooth-connection.
Launched last year, Segway’s Mini Pro quasi-hoverboard allows users to control the former through the use of its official app. It appears like researchers from IOActive have managed to discover a way of hacking into Segway’s scooters through this app. In other words, hackers can also potentially hijack a hoverboard while the rider is moving. According to a report by Motherboard, the security-firm disclosed the vulnerabilities to Segway back in January. Following which, the company released a new version of the app in April that tackled the issues.
"These devices can be controlled without special hardware up to 30 feet away. With special hardware, they can be controlled potentially hundreds of feet away," Thomas Kilbride, a security researcher at IOActive, told Motherboard.
Apart from the potential damage that the vulnerability posed to hoverboard riders, the app’s feature also displays the locations of nearby hoverboard riders. This gives away the opportunity to hackers who can easily track, hijack and control those hoverboards as well. IOActive published its research on the vulnerabilities only recently with Segway yet to respond to the matter.
