News

Child Smart Watches Could be hacked?

Avatar photo

22 October 2017

By Alex Khalil

There seems to be an unfortunate trend of children’s toys being hacked. Not two years ago, toy company VTech was attacked, leading to numerous items from the toy range being defective. They then released a new licence which then made it the owner’s fault, should it be hacked again.

Well, now smartwatches designed for children could also be the target of hackers. According to the Norwegian Consumer Council, many watches had significant security flaws that make them vulnerable to hacks.

It discovered that the attackers could potentially eavesdrop or communicate through these watches. The brands in question were Gator and GPS for Kids.

The NCC plans to go public with its findings with this slogan.

The product was tested to serve as a basic smartphone, allowing parents to communicate with them and track their location. If hackers get a hold of this information, it could spell some serious issues. There is an SOS feature that allows the child to immediately call their parents.

Consumer watchdog Which? criticised the ‘shoddy’ watches and said parents would be ‘shocked’ if they knew the risks.

John Lewis, UK retailer, stocks a version of the watch, however, it’s unclear if it has any of the security flaws the other watches tested for.

The UK division of Gator watch said it was moving its data to a new encrypted server and was developing a more secure app for customers.

 

Like this article? Please share!