WiFi Toy Security

Children’s toys that connect to WiFi and Bluetooth could pose serious threat, experts have warned.

19:13 15 November 2017

Many children’s toys that connect to WiFi and Bluetooth have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to speak to children, experts have warned.

 

A team from product watchdog Which? tested a number of connected toys, and found that there is no authentication required to link some toys with devices via Bluetooth.

 

Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which? said: "Connected toys are becoming increasingly popular, but as our investigation shows, anyone considering buying one should apply a level of caution," 

 

Which? claims that the following toys can be easily hacked and could pose severe threats to child safety: Furby Connect, the i-Que robot, Cloudpets and Toy-fi Teddy.

 

“In each of the toys, the Bluetooth connection had not been secured, meaning during the tests the hacker didn’t need a password, PIN code or any other authentication to get access,” Which?'s report said.

 

The team appealed to retailers to secure the toys or stop selling them. “With toys like these and other connected toys expected to be popular around Black Friday and Christmas, we’re calling for smart toys to be made secure, or taken off sale entirely,” they said.