Smart Toys Are a Threat, FBI Says

This would be perfectly fine and their natural evolution if it weren’t for the security and privacy flaws most of these smart toys have, that can put children’s identities in the hands of hackers far too easily. In fact, because this is such a serious matter that is sadly only likely to increase, the FBI issued a privacy warning explaining just how smart toys can be a risk.

When their best friends spy on them

It is somewhat common to see privacy companies issuing statements warning about the dangers of a service – or a toy in this case – but unfortunately these can only go so far. But if an agency such as the FBI is issuing these same statements then this gives everything a greater sense of importance, which only proves how significant and critical such a topic is.

In an advisory comment posted on the Bureau’s website, the agency warns about how internet connected toys can pose a threat to the children given the capabilities these gadgets have of disclosing personal information. Not long ago we reported on a story about how smart stuffed animals equipped with microphones and a poorly protected cloud-based service allowed a digital security expert to collect nearly 2.2 million unencrypted voice recordings. Also, who doesn’t remember the infamous case of My Friend Cayla that led to the doll being banned in Germany? When a Bluetooth connection was left unprotected and nothing else was encrypted, the doll was hacked and the perpetrator could make it say whatever they wanted to the child through the toy’s microphone.

This is exactly what the FBI is addressing in its advisory published, as children are unable to understand how an innocent conversation between them and their toys can have harmful consequences if they end up in the hackers’ hands. Information such as their age, what school they attend, their likes and dislikes are only some of the details a child might say to his favorite stuffed friends. Moreover, even if they are not the chattiest of children, many toys now require log in information and build profiles of their young users, but because they’re just toys few parents pay the appropriate attention to this, providing them with easy passwords.

In addition, because even websites meant for kids can be used against them, one of the best alternatives is to invest in a VPN router. This way do not only you protect your entire home network ensuring that you can circumvent geo-restrictions and access the best content but the online experience of your youngest ones will also be safer and anonymous.