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Cybersecurity experts warn parents about Bluetooth toys possibly spying on children
Cyber security experts warn parents about Bluetooth toys possibly spying on children
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Christmas is over, which means there may be a few extra toys for children in the house.
Cybersecurity experts are warning parents to pay attention to what kinds of toys their children are playing with, saying some could be capable of doing much more than what you're aware of.
"As parents, we need to be aware of ways our children can be exposed," said Teresa Rule, a cybersecurity specialist at RNT Professional Services LLC.
Rule said toys with Bluetooth or that can connect to Wi-Fi have the potential to not only spy on those playing with them but could also collect data later capable of predicting children's thoughts and behaviors.
"There are tools hackers can get for under $50. They have cute names like 'rubber ducky' or 'pineapple.' You can acquire them through various ways. Not illegally just, you have to know where to go," Rule said. "You put it on your phone or computer and you turn it on and you can see all of the people that are transmitting out like at a Starbucks, Panera Bread or any place there’s a whole lot of WiFi for free."
Rule said it can also happen through your home Wi-Fi.
"When this stuff is transmitted through your home Wi-Fi, what do they have? They have your IP address. They have your physical address. They have some frequency information. They can find out what other electronics you have in the house," Rule said.
Rule said toys that talk, connect through an App or have a microchip in them are signs they could be stealing data or watching your every move.
One toy website Rule showed FOX 25 shares exactly what information its toys will collect -- like login information, payment info, demographics, device info, social sign on, Wi-Fi network name and personal information.
"Now they know if grandma or grandpa bought it or Mom and Dad did," Rule said.
She said when children use these devices or toys, they could also begin gathering information like how your child solves problems and can later predict their thoughts and behaviors.
Rule said the data is then entered into an algorithm.
"All that data is sold. Who’s it sold to? Sometimes it’s sold to pharmaceutical companies or educational development companies like toy developers, you know?" Rule said.
Rule said it's important that parents know what a toy can do before buying it.
First, she said parents can check the toy's website.
"The website was last updated in 2017. All kinds of rules have changed since 2017. Like terms and condition, privacy policy, child online protection," Rule said.
Check to see when it was last updated or if it's on a secure webpage.
Once a toy with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is inside your home, Rule said to make sure your home Wi-Fi is secure.
"Change your Wi-Fi password from the default password and change it periodically. Maybe every 30 days," Rule said.
Rule said parents should also make sure any apps their child is using should be approved by a parent.
"Find out if there are passwords required to load things in an app and have the parent control that password so when little Jeff wants to do cool things on the app he has to get parental approval for it," Rule said.
Parents can also read the toy's privacy statement online and learn how data could be used after purchasing the toy.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/cfcjt/ for more info.
