'Your C*ck is Mine Now': It Turns Out Giving the Internet Control Over Your Genitals is Less Than Ideal

Source - A hacker took control of people's internet-connected chastity cages and demanded a ransom to be paid in Bitcoin to unlock it.  

"Your cock is mine now," the hacker told one of the victims, according to a screenshot of the conversation obtained by a security researcher that goes by the name Smelly and is the founder of vx-underground, a website that collects malware samples.  

In October of last year, security researchers found that the manufacturer of an Internet of Things chastity cage—a sex toy that users put around their penis to prevent erections that is used in the BDSM community and can be unlocked remotely—had left an API exposed, giving malicious hackers a chance to take control of the devices. That's exactly what happened. ...

A victim who asked to be identified only as Robert said that he received a message from a hacker demanding a payment of 0.02 Bitcoin (around $750 today) to unlock the device. He realized his cage was definitely "locked," and he "could not gain access to it." 

"Fortunately I didn’t have this locked on myself while this happened," Robert said in an online chat. 

"I wasn’t the owner of the cage anymore so I didn’t have full control over the cage at any given moment," another victim who goes by the name RJ told Motherboard in an online chat. RJ said he got a message from the hacker, who said they had control of the cage and wanted a payment to unlock it.  ...

Qiui, the China-based manufacturer of the device, which is aptly called Cellmate, did not respond to a request for comment. 

OK. Good safety tip. The world is changing all the time and it's hard to keep up. I admit that I come from a time when your lessons on how to take care of yourself were limited pretty much limited to Stranger Danger, not running with scissors and waiting a half hour after you eat before you go swimming, so you don't cramp up. (Which I think is not medically sound advice and might have just been a thing moms said so they could stay in their beach chairs ripping smokes and reading Danielle Steele novels. But whatever.) But as I live and learn, I realize that with each new advancement in technology comes a new personal safety concern. 

This is why we have warning labels on everything I suppose. Because when life was simpler, all we needed was a couple of broad strokes Public Service Announcements. But everything is so specific now, you can't expect TV to cover all the possibilities. I mean,  NBC won't go to commercial break and have some star of "Superstore" tell you, "Remember, dozens of people with internet-accessible chastity belts get hacked each year. So practice cyber bondage carefully. When you purchase a sex toy that users put around their penis to prevent erections that is used in the BDSM community and can be unlocked remotely, use the strongest password."

So allow me to tell you instead. If you're one of the people who enjoys the passionate thrill that can only come from someone remotely preventing your erections, good for you. I'm sure it's an amazing experience that far outweighs being in control of your own dong and having vanilla sex with a willing partner in a committed relationship. I don't judge. Just make sure you use a password that includes both upper and lower case letters, at least one number and at least one symbol and then keep it only between you and however many Doms you're involved with. And since I don't own a Cell Mate I can't be sure how they work. But if you can add that layer of security you get from one of those "I am not a robot" verification screens where you click the squares with the pictures of a crosswalk or whatever, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Remember, the $750 - and the boner - you save will be your own. Have a happy and safe time BDSMing.