IoT toys are more than fun and games and can potentially lead to a violation of children's privacy and safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Monday.

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

July 18, 2017

1 Min Read

Internet-connected toys carry the potential of violating children's privacy and safety, given the amount of information the toys can collect and store, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned on Monday.

The sensors, microphones, data storage capabilities, cameras, and other multi-media features of IoT toys could potentially gather information on a child regarding their name, school, activity plans and physical location.

And if those toys are hacked, the information and data collected could potentially be used by attackers to do a child harm, the FBI warned. The FBI advisory offered advice on selecting an IoT toy, such as only connecting it to a secure and trusted WiFi network, research the toy to ensure it can receive firmware and software updates, and investigate where the information entered into the toy is stored.

Read more about the FBI advisory here.

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Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

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