NCSC welcomes report into security of connected toys

15 Nov 2017 12:25 PM

Vulnerabilities in connected toys could potentially enable a stranger to talk to a child.

A report published by Which? yesterday (October 14) has reported vulnerabilities with the I-Que Intelligent Robot, Toy-fi Teddy, Furby and CloudPets cuddly toys.

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said:

“We welcome this report and strongly urge manufacturers of connected devices to take every measure to ensure their products are safe to use.

“Companies must take this responsibility seriously and toy manufacturers need to catch up with the security processes that are embedded within the wider IT industry.

“Parents should be in no doubt that products their children use are safe. The Government’s Secure by Default Programme is helping to spread good practices and initiatives for companies to adopt. People who are worried about issues relating to a specific product should contact the manufacturers.”

Further Information

• Manufacturers of internet-connected devices should ensure those devices have appropriate security measures built in and seek to ensure emerging technologies are secure by design.
• For device manufacturers, the NCSC has guidance around how to build devices that are Secure by Default. This guidance details some high-level principles that help to ensure that products are designed in a secure way.