3 More Hackable Toys NOT to Buy Your Kids This Holiday Season

3 More Hackable Toys NOT to Buy Your Kids This Holiday Season

The clock is ticking on gift-buying this holiday season, but that’s no excuse not to do some research before you buy connected toys.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Dec 06, 2017

The clock is ticking on gift-buying this holiday season, but that’s no excuse not to do some research before you buy connected toys. The wave of new WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled gadgets for kids means more possibilities that a toy with looser security standards could be hacked, leaving you and your child vulnerable.

We previously covered three hackable toys as investigated by Mashable. Since then, groups like Which?, a U.K.-based consumer products safety testing firm, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have issued their own lists of unsafe toys for 2017. Here are three of their worst offenders:

My Friend Cayla

Cayla is a smart, interactive doll that can chat with children. Her Bluetooth capability works with her app and blocks pre-loaded “bad” words and subjects, but some consumers are concerned that she may violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Cayla was classified by the German Federal Network as an “illegal espionage apparatus” and was banned in the country after concerns that access to the doll was unsecured and she could be used to “illegally spy” on children. It’s possible to connect to Cayla even without her app installed because smartphones identify her as a hands-free headset.

Furby Connect

The latest update to Furby connects to the Furby Connect World App to provide more physical and digital ways to interact. It also has LCD-screen animated eyes and can say more than 1,000 phrases. Unfortunately, researchers found that anyone within range of its Bluetooth can connect to the toy when it’s switched on without physically interacting with it due to a lack of security features when pairing with the device. You can also connect to the Furby with a laptop, and some researchers were able to upload and play a custom audio file through the toy, which means anyone with the know-how could upload inappropriate material to play for a child.

I-Que Intelligent Robot

i-Que is an interactive robot who can talk, tell jokes and quiz children. It uses Bluetooth to pair with its app, but smartphones can identify it as a hands-free headset without even installing the app. Anyone within Bluetooth range of the toy can pair with it and use a text field in the app to make the toy say whatever they want in the robot’s own voice. Which? demonstrates a worst-case scenario of someone taking advantage of this vulnerability in the video below.

In a consumer notice about internet-connected toys released in July, the FBI suggested parents take the following steps before purchasing a “smart” toy:

  1. Research any known security issues with the toy.
  2. Only connect smart toys to trusted and secured Wi-Fi.
  3. Look into the toy’s internet and device connection security measures.
  4. Use authentication when pairing the device with Bluetooth, such as a pin or password.
  5. Stay up to date with any manufacturer security update or patches.
  6. Investigate where the user data is stored, with the company, a third party source or both.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

  • Seeking Innovative Solutions

    Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. You may recognize these terms as the “5 Phases” of a grieving process, but they could easily describe the phases one goes through before adopting any new or emerging innovation or technology, especially in a highly risk-averse industry like security. However, the desire for convenience in all aspects of modern life is finally beginning to turn the tide from old school hardware as the go-to towards more user-friendly, yet still secure, door solutions. Read Now

  • Where AI Meets Human Judgment

    Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. It is driving business growth, shaping consumer experiences, and showing up in places most of us never imagined just a few years ago. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities