A cybersecurity expert has had a dozen microchips implanted in his body. With them, he can hijack all kinds of computer systems and even hack smartphones without touching them!
You are on the bus or the subway, your smartphone in your hand. A passenger stands very close, brushing against you, without touching you, before moving away. A banal everyday scene. Except that the stranger has stolen all your personal information! This scenario worthy of a science fiction film is nevertheless very real thanks to Len Noe, an American hacker who took a radical direction to test and raise awareness about cybersecurity.
A former member of a Detroit biker gang, Len Noe has retrained in cybersecurity and now works for an Israeli company, CyberArk. But what sets him apart from other security experts are the ten microchips he has implanted in his body. Thanks to them, he can hack security systems and smartphones in a matter of seconds. He is a veritable walking technological arsenal, capable of defying the best protection systems.
Len Noe enlisted the help of body modification specialist Pineapple Tangaroa to implant the devices. The chips allow him to manipulate RFID and NFC, technologies commonly used for contactless payments and access badges. He can copy a building badge or credit card simply by holding it near his hand. Magnets implanted in his fingers even allow him to sense magnetic fields, an ability that gives him an added advantage when tracing electrical circuits or manipulating metal objects.
The hacker claims that his implants are undetectable by airport security gates and are subject to medical confidentiality, making it even more difficult for law enforcement to detect them. To power the device, he uses inductive charging, a technology similar to that used to wirelessly charge smartphones.
Len Noe is not a malicious hacker. He describes himself as an ethical hacker, using his skills to test security holes and raise awareness of potential dangers. He warns that the amount of personal information stored on a smartphone is at least a hundred times greater than that contained in a wallet. He stresses the importance of securing not only our digital data but also our physical environments. For him, an unlocked door or an unsecured access badge can be an open invitation to hackers.
This approach pushes the thinking further, towards the concept of transhumanism, a movement that advocates the use of science and technology to improve human abilities. Len Noe is the embodiment of this movement, using implants to become a technological “superman”. Transhumanism aims to surpass biological limits, dreaming of immortality and an augmented humanity. But this vision also raises concerns. Who will have access to these technologies? Do we not risk creating a two-speed society, with an “augmented” elite and the rest of the population left behind?
Len Noe, with his futuristic implants, opens the door to a fascinating and complex debate. How far will we go in this quest for technological improvement? If the idea of an improved body may seem attractive, it also raises crucial ethical and social questions. The future of humanity could well be played out on the terrain of transhumanism, between progress and potential excesses.