A year ago, I embarked on the funky journey to gain insights into IoT security. I am particularly interested in medical devices, that is an item that’s connected to the Internet AND can gather some sort of health data.

I started off with connected sex toys—it’s fun to tear them down, then tell others about it. Beyond the fun, though, is the actual understanding of what is at stake. And, in all honesty, your fridge, your insulin pump and your pacemaker all share the same challenges: they need improved security so that we are not at risk.

Since the first dildo I investigated, my analysis capabilities have evolved. This talk will address the diverse range of challenges I have had: obtaining the objects (the least complex one… but not the cheapest option, still!), producing reproducible data, collecting meaningful logs, having the companies building the IoT fix their flaws, etc. Thankfully, I will also discuss the solutions I identified, all of which involve FLOSS and (in part) open hardware.

Rayna Stamboliyska