Biden's Peloton May Cause 'Unexpected Headache'

High-tech bike hooked up to internet could cause cybersecurity risk in the White House
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 22, 2021 9:31 AM CST
Biden's Peloton May Cause 'Unexpected Headache'
In this Sept. 26, 2019, file photo, the Peloton logo is displayed on one of the company's stationary bicycles in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

There's nothing wrong with a president who takes care of himself, but how Joe Biden stays fit could lead to what the Guardian calls an "unexpected headache." It's been reported that, before he became commander in chief, the 78-year-old kicked off each day in Wilmington, Del., with a workout in his home gym, which included a Peloton bike in addition to a treadmill and weights. But the high-tech Pelotons, which cost thousands, let users livestream classes, meaning they can be seen by other users and chat with them—a potential cybersecurity risk for the US president. "If he's the kind of guy who pedals and talks to people, that could be problematic," a former deputy director of the National Security Agency tells the New York Times. The issue also may be causing more concern than usual after the massive cyberattack last year against American government departments and various companies.

There are workarounds: Biden could rip out the bike's camera and mic and disable the network, and also have the bike set up in a special gym, on its own network, so as not to make the White House network vulnerable, cybersecurity expert Max Kilger tells Popular Mechanics and the New York Post. An ex-National Security Agency member also tells the Times that Biden should pick an under-the-radar user name that changes each month. However, after all that, all Biden would have left is "a boring bike," Kilger notes to the Post. Biden isn't the first White House occupant to face this problem: Michelle Obama reportedly had one of the fancy bikes while she resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but sans camera or microphone. Meanwhile, the Week notes that late-night hosts Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert had a bit of fun with Biden's Peloton predicament. Peloton also has responded to the hubbub, with a meme on Twitter, per Fox Business. (More Peloton stories.)

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