The IT Nerd

Usually when you speak about anything sexual, the only thing to worry about besides pregnancy is catching an STD. Well, I’m here to tell you that you may now need to worry about catching something else. Malware. I’ll let 404 Media give you the details:

Reddit user VegetableLuck posted to r/malware that they bought a small vibrator from the mall, plugged it into their computer’s USB port to charge “without any thought,” and claimed that it downloaded a file flagged by their system’s anti-virus protection software as malware. 

“Opened my web browser and a file is instantly downloaded without opening any webpages, malwarebytes has flagged it as malware and stopped the download,” they wrote. This supposed virus-laden vibrator post went viral on Reddit and Twitter over the weekend.

“No damage was done! Malwarebytes did catch it before I even knew what was happening and then I only investigated where I was able to see the file and get the download source/link from it,” VegetableLuck told 404 Media. “I was very confused as something like this has never happened before, and I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary on my computer, I had also just turned it on for the day and opened my web browser, the only new variable was I had this vibrator plugged into the usb port!”

They told us they bought it in person on Valentine’s Day at Spencer’s Gifts, a store that largely sells Family Guy t-shirts, Rick and Morty bongs, and lava lamps. Spencer’s stores usually also have a section dedicated to adult toys. The specific item VegetableLuck told us they bought—”Pussy Power 8-Function Rechargeable Bullet Vibrator 4 Inch” by the brand Sexology, according to VegetableLuck—is still listed on the Spencer’s website but is sold out. It has mostly 5-star ratings, and none mention viruses or malware.

404 Media tried to buy the same vibrator but couldn’t get one online. So they went for another model and this is what happened:

The only interesting thing that happened during our test is that, at one point, when plugging the Pussy Power vibrator into the iMac, we captured a split-second popup. Jason happened to be recording the screen with his phone at the time, so he put that video into Adobe Premiere and went frame-by-frame. 

So there’s something that’s clearly on this vibrator. What it is, they don’t know. And more forensics work couldn’t come to a conclusion. But the thing is, if you stick anything into your computer, it could be infected with something. So the safe thing to do is to practise safe computing at all times, just like you practice safe sex.

This entry was posted on February 20, 2024 at 9:05 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.