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German Parents Told to Destroy Cayla Dolls Over Hacking Fears

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:22AM   Printer-friendly
from the still-better-than-Chucky dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

An official watchdog in Germany has told parents to destroy a talking doll called Cayla because its smart technology can reveal personal data. The warning was issued by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), which oversees telecommunications. Researchers say hackers can use an insecure bluetooth device embedded in the toy to listen and talk to the child playing with it.

[...] The Vivid Toy group, which distributes My Friend Cayla, has previously said that examples of hacking were isolated and carried out by specialists. However, it said the company would take the information on board as it was able to upgrade the app used with the doll. But experts have warned that the problem has not been fixed. The Cayla doll can respond to a user's question by accessing the internet. For example, if a child asks the doll "what is a little horse called?" the doll can reply "it's called a foal".

[...] Manufacturer Genesis Toys has not yet commented on the German warning.

Previously on SoylentNews: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/12/08/2050214

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  • (Score: 0, Touché) by Ayn Anonymous on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:43AM

    by Ayn Anonymous (5012) on Saturday February 18 2017, @02:43AM (#468467)

    > Bundes-fucking-incompetent-we-protect-the-children-netzagentur

    I hoped they all died from incompetence.
    :=(

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday February 18 2017, @03:44AM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday February 18 2017, @03:44AM (#468481) Journal

    Alright - Bundesnetzagentur is incompetent. Do you have anything more than this particular warning on which to base that assertion? Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong, but your post doesn't offer anything with which to evaluate your statement.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @07:59AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 18 2017, @07:59AM (#468520)

    When someone warns you of a danger, listen.

    When someone dismisses threats, they are an enemy. There can be more than one enemy. A cunning enemy can (and will) use your friends to destroy you.

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by fritsd on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:30AM

    by fritsd (4586) on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:30AM (#468543) Journal

    Nice try, Cayla!