A team of computer scientists found that wireless gear-shifting systems in high-end bikes are vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks that could undermine popular races like the Tour de France.

Wireless gear-shift systems are meant to give riders better control of their bikes, according to the University of California San Diego, whose researchers collaborated with those from Northeastern University on the study. But the modernization also introduces a new set of problems in the form of hacking vulnerabilities. Those weak points could be exploited “to gain an unfair advantage, potentially causing crashes or injuries by manipulating gear shifts or jamming the shifting operation,” the researchers wrote.

The group specifically looked into bikes with Shimano Di2 wireless gear-shifting technology, which it called the “market leader.” According to UC San Diego, the system works “by deploying wireless links between the gear shifters controlled by the riders and the device that moves chains between gears on the bike, called a derailleur.” By recording and then retransmitting those commands, researchers found they were able to perform an attack from up to 10 meters away with “off the shelf devices.” They also found it’s possible to disable gear shifting for one particular bike with a targeted jamming attack, rather than impacting all surrounding ones.

The researchers are now working with Shimano to patch the vulnerabilities, UC San Diego says, and the company has already started using some of their suggested countermeasures. Shimano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The history of professional cycling’s struggles with illegal performance-enhancing drugs underscores the appeal of such undetectable attacks, which could similarly compromise the sport’s integrity,” the researchers say. “Given these risks, it is essential to adopt an adversary’s viewpoint and ensure that this technology can withstand motivated attackers in the highly competitive environment of professional cycling.”

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EATING FROM ROBOTS: In recent years, the e-commerce landscape has transformed dramatically, with delivery drones and robots emerging as pivotal innovations. Vayu Robotics has introduced its first delivery robot, “The One,” which aims to revolutionize how goods are delivered. Let’s explore the features of Vayu’s robot, its implications for the future of delivery services and its broader impact on the e-commerce industry.

INTEGRATED: The latest technology integrating artificial intelligence with unmanned aerial vehicles in “contested environments” has passed the test following trials conducted by the U.S., U.K. and Australia’s military alliance, AUKUS, officials said Friday.

BOT OR NOT?: Delphi co-founder and CEO Dara Ladjevardian designed an artificial intelligence clone of himself that told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo all about itself.

Maria Bartiromo spoke with Dara Ladjevardian, co-founder and CEO of Delphi.  (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

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Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has launched Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini: two new models of its Grok chatbot that offer upgraded performance and new image-generation capabilities. Grok’s prompt-based image maker is powered by Black Forest Lab’s Flux 1 AI model, and allows users to generate and publish images directly to the X social platform — with seemingly few guardrails in place to prevent abuse.

xAI says that Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini are available in beta on X (where Grok access is currently limited to Premium and Premium Plus subscribers) and that both models will be available through the AI developer’s enterprise API later this month.

“We are excited to release an early preview of Grok-2, a significant step forward from our previous model Grok-1.5, featuring frontier capabilities in chat, coding, and reasoning,” xAI said in its announcement, describing the chatbot as “more intuitive, steerable, and versatile” than its predecessor. Meanwhile, Grok-2 mini is a “small but capable sibling” of Grok-2 that “offers a balance between speed and answer quality,” according to xAI.

These Grok-generated images also don’t appear to sport any kind of disclosure to flag them as being AI generated. We’ve asked X if it will place restrictions on image generation, though the platform has persistently shunned media inquiries since Musk purchased it in 2022.