back to article Posh potty owners flushed by dodgy Bluetooth password

A high-tech toilet that takes care of everything except wiping its owner has been left wide open to attackers thanks to a basic security flaw. toilet Bluetooth blunder leaves bollocks prone to blasting The Satis toilet, a $5,686 (£3,821) appliance built by Japanese (of course) manufacturer Lixil, is designed to open itself …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Some jokes never pall

    firing water jets up through the seats

    We used to do that with the stools [the ones you sit on] in the chemistry lab. A knot-hole, some rubber tubing, and a handy tap. No bluetooth required.

  2. Pen-y-gors

    A tad over-engineered?

    It does look rather wonderful, do they have a UK importer?

    But why does it need Bluetooth to recognise when the owner approaches? And does the typical owner have his smartphone in his pajamas at 3am when he/she needs a whiz? Given that there's a control panel next to it, surely what is needed is a simple proximity sensor so that it opens when anyone approaches, whether or not they're the owner? Who wants guests peeing in the washbasin because the toilet seat refuses to open.

    1. Wize

      Re: A tad over-engineered?

      My battery is flat. I can't use the toilet till I find a charging cable and give it a few minutes to get a little bit of a charge.

      Power cut and its time to dig a hole in the garden.

      Why not just use motion sensors for proximity and a side arm for bum washing controls?

      1. Neill Mitchell

        Re: A tad over-engineered?

        "Why not just use motion sensors for proximity and a side arm for bum washing controls?"

        Erm, it does. The photo gives it away. Note the panel above the loo roll. What use would a toilet be that only worked if you have your phone on you? The phone app is just auxiliary marketing bum wipe.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Anydroid claims £4k Crapper

    First world problems' throne, open to miscreants.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It doesn't seem clear from the article, but wouldn't an attack require physical access? In that case, one could describe the potential for any normal toilet's seat being wrapped in saran wrap as a 'security vulnerability', too, but I'm not sure it really meets the expected definition.

    Brings new meaning to 'flushing the cache', though, that's for sure.

    1. Brian Miller
      Pirate

      You don't need physical access, just a good Bluetooth antenna. Lots of info on how to do that.

      Share and enjoy, share and enjoy...

    2. Ed_UK
      Thumb Up

      "Brings new meaning to 'flushing the cache', though, that's for sure."

      Not to mention Core Dump, or User Log.

  5. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Coat

    The My Satis application

    Japan proving once again that they have R+D that other countries could only dream of - true automation for those "I'm on the bog" Twitter and Facebook posts and first movement advantage.

    1. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

      Re: The My Satis application

      Shouldn't that be "Shitter and Faecebook posts"?

  6. BongoJoe
    Mushroom

    If there was a toilet with half a dozen of these in their own cubicles all next to each other; aren't they all going to follow every bLOOtooth instruction from every cubical occupant at the same time?

    It doesn't sound so well thought out to me.

  7. pierce
    Devil

    ok, who's read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", best known for popularizing the acronym TANSTAAFL ? The sentient computer network on the moonbase did numerous pranks on the earth installed lunar Governor including... wait for it.... reverse flushing his toilet!

    1966. Robert A Heinlein was prescient.

  8. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge
    Trollface

    "If there was a toilet with half a dozen of these in their own cubicles all next to each other; aren't they all going to follow every bLOOtooth instruction from every cubical occupant at the same time?"

    At $5,686 a pop, it seems unlikely someone will set up a whole public restroom full of these. It would be funnier to bidet like 5 people at once than one though wouldn't it? 8-)

    Anyway...

    1) Duh guys, setting a bluetooth pin is just common sense.

    2) On the other hand, people are unlikely to get within bluetooth range unless they are already in your house, right outside the bathroom, anyway.

    1. JMB

      'At $5,686 a pop, it seems unlikely someone will set up a whole public restroom full of these. It would be funnier to bidet like 5 people at once than one though wouldn't it? 8-)'

      But it is possible they will have His and Her toilets side by side.

  9. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    MUST ... NOT .... POST ... URL TO THE MANGA ABOUT THE EXPERIMENTAL BIDET FROM HELL....

  10. David 45
    Mushroom

    Round the bend

    A bog-standard password then?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Re: Round the bend

      Sounds like the password has the same properties as other things that get flushed down the loo … crap and piss weak.

  11. banjomike
    Happy

    The ultimate handsfree device

    Sorry.

  12. Andrew Jones 2

    As I have read elsewhere - it doesn't seem to matter if you have changed the pin code or not, the app is hardcoded to send 0000 and the toilet is hardcoded to accept 0000 along with whatever custom code you have programmed.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Vulnerability analysis has officially jumped the shark

    I mean, seriously? Who the hell cares about an attack that at its worst apparently causes you to waste water? Owner of this $5000+ toy can afford to waste a bit of water until they realize something is amiss and turn the water connection to it off. They'll start caring when you can cause it to plug up and flood their bathroom!

    If you want to cause someone to waste water, just turn on the hose spigots outside their house. That would be a far worse attack on someone you must hate (because really, you're going to all this trouble to make their toilet flush a lot???) Not only will that waste far more water than a 1.1 gpf toilet flushing repeatedly, if left unnoticed for long enough, could cause some major problems with the foundation, get water inside their house if they have some below ground living area, etc.

  14. snowweb
    Stop

    Same toilet less than half the price in the Philippines.

    A toilet at Wilcon Depot in the Philippines caught my attention the other week and in appearance it resembles the one in the picture in every way. The features also sound the same. I suspect it's from the same manufacturer and probably same brand and model.

    If my memory serves me correctly though, it was priced at around P99,000 (that's ninety nine thousand pesos (PHP)), which would convert to about 150,000 UK pounds.

    I think therefore, some investigation is called for to decipher why the UK has to pay so much for the same toilet?

    I think in the UK, you are getting ripped off!

    1. Nearly Anonymous
      Stop

      Re: Same toilet less than half the price in the Philippines.

      I think you mean P99,000 is about 1,500 UK pounds.

      While that still seems awfully expensive to me, I'm doubtful they would sell the exact same model for half the price just to be kind to the Philippines. Less than 1% of the Philippine population could reasonably afford such a toilet, plus they could also afford to pay the same price as in the UK. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'll believe it when I see it. Much more likely is an inferior imitation product.

  15. Thecowking
    Coat

    So when they fix this...

    Will it be throne clear of attack?

    Mine's the one with the book of shamefully bad puns.

  16. CaptainBlue

    Why do they call you "donkey"?

    "the toilet seat bite you in the ass"

    Why would you have your donkey with you in the toilet? You can lead a horse to water, but this is ridiculous ... or is the journo a Merkin?

  17. Ed_UK
    Flame

    Spraying perfume? Just say NO.

    "perfumes the air with deodorant"

    Any machine that attempts to spray me will be swiftly deactivated. Same goes for those vile devices they put in lavs all over the place these days. I don't know who are the bigger fools; those who sell them or those who buy them.

  18. Mark York 3 Silver badge

    ARTHUR:

    What are you talking about?

    VENTILATION SYSTEM:

    You heard.

    ARTHUR:

    What? Who said that?

    VENTILATION SYSTEM:

    The Ventilation System. You had a go at me yesterday.

    ARTHUR:

    Yes, because you keep filling the air with cheap perfume.

    VENTILATION SYSTEM:

    You like scented air: it’s fresh and invigorating.

    ARTHUR:

    No I do not.

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