Can Neuralink’s brain chip be hacked?

According to the first person to receive a Neuralink brain chip transplant, this could happen. However, at this point, hacking brain chips will not have much effect.

Nowadays, most technologies can be attacked by hackers. And Neuralink’s brain chips are no exception.

Neuralink is currently conducting the first brain chip test on a 29-year-old man named Nolan Arbaugh. The company owned by billionaire Elon Musk aims to create a bridge between the human brain and computers with their chips.

In the face of the current sharp increase in cyberattacks, many people are concerned that this chip can be easily compromised. VIn this regard, Nolan Arbaugh shared with American podcaster Joe Rogan that Neuralink’s brain chip can still be hacked.

Nolan Arbaugh revealed that, if someone wants to hack Neuralink’s brain chip implanted in his brain, he or she must connect to a computer.

Nolan Arbaugh is the first person to successfully implant a Neuralink brain chip (Photo: Neuralink)

“You can’t access it on your own,” says Nolan Arbaugh, “at least for now, hacking brain chips isn’t really going to work.You can see some brain signals and data that Neuralink is collecting, then you can control my cursor on that N pictures and make me look at strange things.”

While sharing, Nolan Arbaugh focused more on Neuralink’s transformative potential than on the hypothetical risks of the chip being hacked.

Due to a spinal cord injury, Nolan Arbaugh was paralyzed all over his body. Nolan Arbaugh revealed that he had dislocated the C4 and C5 vertebrae while swimming in the lake. Doctors told him that the vertebrae were detached for a moment and then returned to their original positions. However, he was paralyzed from the shoulder down.

“I couldn’t feel anything and my movements were very limited. I can shake my arm a little bit, but it’s not enough to do anything like move the joystick,” Nolan Arbaugh shared.

Neuralink’s brain chip has helped him regain control and interact with digital devices with his thoughts since he was a teenager. transplanted in January 2024. Thanks to this chip, he can play games on his laptop such as online chess through brain signals.

Neuralink’s brain chip is the size of a coin, allowing the implantee to control the device remotely with just a thought (Photo: Neuralink)

Neuralink’s system, called Link, records nerve signals using 1,024 electrodes on 64 “fibers” thinner than a hairline.A few months ago, this system had a bit of a problem. Some of the electrode fibers located in the brain tissue begin to withdraw from that tissue.

Nolan Arbaugh explains that this happens because of the brain’s nerve impulses, which lead to initial challenges with the fibers of the the implant retracts, affecting the clarity of the signal. However, Neuralink’s continuous adjustments in terms of software have significantly improved system performance.