{"id":70762,"date":"2017-03-28T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=70762"},"modified":"2025-08-26T20:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T03:19:03","slug":"cloudpets-hack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/cloudpets-hack\/","title":{"rendered":"These Cute Teddy Bears Have Been Recording Your Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of cyberhacks, we often think of criminals trying to break into a network of important information protected behind a screen. You might think of enterprises and large organizations as victims of cyberattacks, but actors are moving their target to the home. Living with three kids, I try to make my home\u2013\u2013and my tech\u2013\u2013as safe for my kids as possible.<\/p>\n

Cybercriminals are tricky, however, and sometimes sneak in to our homes in ways we\u2019d never imagine possible. Recent attacks are even targeting children\u2019s toys that connect to the internet, putting not only you, but your children\u2019s privacy at risk.<\/p>\n

CloudPets<\/a> are loveable plush toys that allow kids to communicate directly with loved ones from afar. Friends and family members from around the globe can record voice messages on the CloudPets mobile app and upload it to a child\u2019s stuffed animal, which will then play it for the owner. Kids can respond back by recording their own message through the stuffed animal\u2019s built-in recording mechanism.<\/p>\n

Security expert Troy Hunt was contacted<\/a> last month by an unknown source, who told Hunt they had access to the entire CloudPets database of passwords and recordings. The source sent a snippet of about half a million recordings to Hunt, who then began to work on verifying their authenticity. He had been leading a security course at the time, and one of his students in the class was registered as a CloudPets parent. Using his student\u2019s information, Hunt was able to locate his student\u2019s email in the database, match the passwords, and authenticate the data. The leaked information included audio recordings of both children and adult voices with direct links, as well as the account profile photos of the kids who possessed the toys.<\/p>\n

How to Stay Safe With Your IoT Devices at Home<\/h2>\n

So, what does this mean for our children and their security? While this leak wasn\u2019t as bad as the VTech breach<\/a> that occurred a few years back, it\u2019s still unclear how many people accessed the data that was exposed by this vulnerability. Because CloudPets didn\u2019t have any complexity requirements for account passwords, it means it\u2019s that<\/em> much more vital to teach our children the importance of creating secure, complex logins. As the industry learns from attacks and fights back, there are a few proactive steps you\u2013\u2013and your kids\u2013\u2013can take. For now, know these three \u201cS\u2019s\u201d to make your family more secure while using IoT devices at home.<\/p>\n