Warnings about Hacking Toys and Monitors

Internet-connected children’s toys and baby monitors could be taken over by hackers, cyber security experts have warned.

11:03 01 November 2018

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recently issued a new guideline calling on manufacturers to ensure that children’s toys and baby monitors sold to British families are secure.

 

The move comes after reports found that certain devices have various vulnerabilities. Examples are baby monitors that hackers can access to “inject fake information about the position and temperature” of an infant on an activity tracker and a smart toy bear that could be used to listen to conversations inside the home and obtain sensitive information.

 

An NCSC spokesman said: “Poorly secured devices can threaten individuals’ privacy, compromise their network security, their personal safety and could be exploited as part of large-scale cyberattacks,”

 

“Recent high-profile breaches putting people’s data and security at risk include attacks on smart watches, CCTV cameras and children’s toys.”

 

“A vulnerability being found doesn’t necessarily mean something has been taken over and there was an exploit,” an NCSC spokesperson said.

 

“We should be better at holding companies to an account where something is reported and it doesn’t get fixed.”