If you know someone with an implant in their body, be it a pacemaker, a magnet to get a real sixth sense, a sub-dermal implant to start their Tesla, or something else, they are a transhuman, but what if you met someone with 10 implants in their body? Len Noe’s fascinating life story is worth your time to learn about – and is an implant in your future, too?
Len Noe is global security firm CyberArk’s technical evangelist, but he is also so much more; a renowned futurist, author, Whitehat Hacker, a Transhuman specialist and biohacker. He visited Australia on the week of 17 July to speak at the CISO Melbourne 2024 conference with his talk titled 2024: A Cyborg Odyssey.
There’s more detail below, but first, here’s my video interview with Len Noe! An AI generated is added to the end of this article.
Len is at the forefront of a fascinating and, for some, an eerie reality – transhumans. These individuals, enhanced with technological augmentations, are no longer confined to the realm of science fiction. They walk among us today, presenting unprecedented cyber threats that challenge modern security controls.
Wikipedia explains that transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available new and future technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cognition, and well-being – but it also has implications for physical and cyber security in ways that people haven’t thought of before – especially given implants are classed as medical devices, and your privacy in relation to these devices is protected by law.
In his session, Len shared details of the 10 microchip implants he can use for offensive security purposes, and he demonstrated 5 different implant instantiated attacks, plus suggesting mitigations to Transhuman based attacks – and in the video interview above, Len explained how these attacks work, too.
If you are interested in finding out more about how his implants enable him to bypass security protocols effortlessly, the legal grey areas that obscure these activities from health and privacy regulations, the evolving threats and the new strategies required to counter then all you need to do is to watch the video interview above!
Len has authored a new book available for pre-order now, titled “Human Hacked: My Life and Lessons as the World’s First Augmented Ethical Hacker“
You can also see more information in the video interview that Len did with myself and fellow TNT.News Chris Smith in the Cyber Wednesday segment of the Chris Smith Show. That episode is embedded directly below.
Chris and I start introducing Len at the 39 minute and 41 second mark, and after the introduction and a short break, Len joins us to explain it all and more!
Here’s another link to Len’s upcoming book:
Here’s the AI generated summary of the YouTube video interview with Len!
1. Transhumanism and Biohacking – Len Noe video interview
- Definition of Transhuman
Len explains that a transhuman is anyone utilising technology to enhance or compensate for deficiencies within the human body, such as those with pacemakers or glucose pumps. - Philosophies of Transhumanism
Len describes two philosophies: one by Dr. Julian Huxley, which focuses on addressing deficiencies, and another by F.M. 2030, which supports enhancing human capabilities. - Grinder and Biohacking
Len identifies as a grinder, a do-it-yourself biohacker who performs procedures outside the realm of medical professionals. - Types of Implants
Len has 10 microchips in his body that interface with NFC, RFID, and cell phones. He also has a biosensing magnet that gives him magnetic vision. - Magnetic Vision
Len can feel electromagnetic currents and fields, and mentions experiments with magnetic pulses and custom gloves for human sonar. - Tracing Electrical Circuits
Len uses his magnetic sense to trace electrical circuitry through walls. - Motivation for Implants
Len describes a natural progression from tattoos and body piercings to microchip implants, driven by his background in hacking and the utility of NFC and RFID implants. - Avoiding Early Implants
Len avoided early implantable circuitry due to concerns about detectability, but embraced NFC and RFID implants for their practical uses. - Legal Protection
Len mentions that having tools implanted in his body provides legal protection under health and privacy laws, making it difficult for authorities to question or detect them.
2. Body Modifications and Security Implications
- Healing Time for Implants
Healing time varies depending on the procedure, with some taking up to three weeks. Newer implants typically heal in less than seven days. - Implant Procedures
Procedures can involve scalpels and dermal elevators or a specific type of needle for quicker healing. No anesthetic is used. - Medical Community Trust
The speaker does not trust the medical community for implant procedures and prefers body mechanics for modifications. - Body Mechanics
The speaker works with a body mechanic named Pineapple Tangora in Austin, Texas, for all implant procedures. - Health Issues with Implants
The speaker experienced swelling and had to visit a medical doctor but refused to remove the implant. - Consumer-Grade Implants
Newer consumer-grade implants are available from companies like Dangerous Things and KSEC. - Implant Failures
The speaker had one implant failure, a credit card chip, which had a life expectancy of three years. - NFC Protocol
NFC protocol is used for various attacks, including URL redirection and installing infected APKs on Android devices. - Physical Security
The speaker can bypass physical security systems using implants that interface with over 350 different protocols. - New Attacks
The speaker demonstrated new attacks using a Raspberry Pi Zero W and NFC chips to intercept and manipulate data. - Detection of Augmented Humans
Detecting augmented humans is challenging and may require full-body medical-grade x-rays or technology-sniffing dogs. - Brain-Computer Interface
The speaker discusses the potential of brain-computer interfaces, mentioning companies like Neuralink and Synchron. - Future Implants
The speaker is interested in future implants and brain-computer interfaces for enhanced interaction with technology.
3. Transhumanism and Biohacking
- Ethics and Morality in BCI
The need to reconsider ethics and morality before adopting brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for non-medical purposes. - Current Limitations of BCI
BCI technology is currently reserved for the most damaged individuals and is not available for general use due to medical laws. - Implanting Computers in the Body
The speaker is working on a project to implant a custom-built single-board computer in their leg for pentesting purposes. - Powering Body Implants
Challenges in powering body implants, including considerations of inductive charging, graphene batteries, and glucose fuel cells. - Transhumanism Community
Interactions with other transhumans and biohackers, including sharing contact information via NFC implants. - Security of Implants
Using implants for personal security, such as generating OTPs for multi-factor authentication. - Generative AI and Transhumanism
Concerns about the integration of AI and large language models (LLMs) into biomedical devices and their long-term support. - Future of Individual Identity
The challenge of validating individual identity in the age of deepfakes and advanced AI. - Quantum Computing
The potential threat of quantum computing to current encryption methods and the need to prepare for it. - Future of Transhumanism
The potential for body parts to be replaceable and the philosophical and ethical discussions needed to advance transhumanism. - Daily Work
The speaker’s daily activities involve researching current and future threats and bringing awareness to new security issues.
4. Biohacking and its implications
- Daily use of implants
Len uses RFID implants for office access and stores one-time password codes in an implant-protected application. A magnet implant in the finger is useful for picking up small metal objects. - Electric cars vs. hybrids
Len prefers traditional combustion engines due to personal background and skepticism about electric cars. [Speaker 1] mentions declining sales of electric cars and the potential of hybrid models. - Battery technology
[Speaker 1] discusses advancements in battery technology, specifically lithium titanate batteries, which offer faster recharge times and longer life cycles compared to lithium-ion batteries. - First computer experience
Len recalls working on a Magnavox Odyssey 2 and later a Commodore 64, where they accidentally created a ‘God mode’ in a game. They have extensive experience with various computer systems and operating systems. - Personal background and challenges
Len grew up in a rough neighborhood in Detroit and faced challenges, including involvement in crime. They have since matured and are working to be a better role model. - Book release
Len has written a book titled ‘Human Hacked, My Life and Lessons as the World’s First Augmented Ethical Hacker,’ set to release on October 30th. The book is part autobiographical and discusses future implications of biohacking. - Advice for success
Len advises believing in oneself and not worrying about others’ opinions. It’s better to try and fail than never try at all. - Future of transhumanism
Len believes transhumanism is the next stage of human evolution and emphasizes the need to understand and regulate the technology to prevent misuse.
📝 Conclusion
The interview delves into the philosophies and practices of transhumanism, highlighting the speaker’s personal experiences with biohacking and the potential future implications of integrating technology with the human body.
