You Will Never Believe What Strangers can do With Your E-Cigs Now

by Christina Matthews

Updated: June 1, 2017

Vaporizers or Code Modifiers?

With recent global ransomware attacks, the world’s trust in technology has been a bit shaken. It’s a fact that we rely on our computers and gadgets in a big way. As a result, these concerns surely are valid. This is especially worrisome with all the data we keep in our devices. Recent demonstrations have shown that vaporizers can be more than just a smokeless alternative to smoking.

This is a problematic, and amusing discovery in a way. This demonstration showed the world that in fact vaporizer can operate similarly to a USB device. What researchers found is that a hacker can modify this little device to passcode to your computer. In the demonstration, in which they plugged the e-cigarette into a computer, the vaporizer issued a custom command to the computer. You can guess what happened, the computer obliged.

Vapers Concerned

The text that appeared on the desktop read: “Do you even vape, bro?” Firstly, the researcher conducted this demonstration without any malicious intentions. However, this event concerned many vapers quite a lot. What if someone tried to access their e-cigarette? What if the bad guys can use an e-cigarette to access someone’s computer?

On the other hand, this might be the worst case scenario. What if this meant that vapes lose the position of being an alternative to smoking?

However, with the growing and promising practice of telemedicine, maybe there is a silver lining. We might be able to use this fact for the sake of public health’s benefit? There certainly is, a possibility for this, however unlikely. It would not be an easy task for sure. Furthermore, it is hardly imaginable for retailers to okay distribution of something like this.

Regardless, our devices and our bodies are constantly at risk. At the same time, some anti-viruses and certain programs can keep our devices safe to a certain degree. It is still our decisions that keep our bodies safe and healthy.

Do you think the hacking of vaporizers should be a concern? Would you still use a vape after this? What do you think?

Christina Matthews

I love the written word, and in my career as a journalist, I strive to provide the facts about everything I write about. There are too many false and alarmist stories out there about life and vaping mainly. My mission is to make e-cigarettes less scary to people with informative articles and extensive research on not only the possible evils of cigarettes and Big Tobacco, but the objective side of e-cigs.

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