World of worry from web-connected toys

MOST parents are clueless about the dangers of internetconnected toys and how to manage them, says Australia’s leading cyber cop.

Susan McLean says parents need to question if they really need a “spy” toy in their home at Christmas, putting their children and their personal data at risk.

“One of the easiest ways a hacker can gain access is because parents don’t know to change the default security code that the toy comes with,” she said.

With the Australian toy market flooded with laptops, watches, interactive robots, dolls and teddies new research shows that 50 per cent of parents are enforcing a connection-free gift ban on friends and family. Two in three parents say if their child does receive a connected gift they will put it in the bin.

The research from Norton by Symantec confirms the cyber cop’s claims that parents are in the dark with one third admitting they are completely uniformed.

“Some internet toys are easier to manage than others but if they come into the home parents must do their homework,” she said.

There are interactive toys with microphones and speech recognition software.

Some have built in cameras and sensors, others have web browsers.

Hackers can monitor when a child plays with the toy and gather their personal information like name, date of birth and even their location.

Data can also be obtained from the online account.

Criminals can communicate directly with a child through the toy and even manipulate the toy to perform in a certain way.

“Does a small child really need a toy that is going to talk back to them?” Ms McLean said.

“It should be safety first in the home.

“Christmas is a busy time of year for hackers and online scammers.”