Consumer watchdog Which? has called on retailers to stop selling some popular toys it says have « proven » security issues.
Those toys include Furby Connect, the i-Que robot, Cloudpets and Toy-fi Teddy.
Which? found that there was no authentication required between the toys and the devices they could link with via Bluetooth. Two of the manufacturers said they took security very seriously.
The lack of authentication meant that, in theory, any device within physical range could link to the toy and take control or send messages, the watchdog said.
« Connected toys are becoming increasingly popular, but as our investigation shows, anyone considering buying one should apply a level of caution, » said Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which? « Safety and security should be the absolute priority with any toy. If that can’t be guaranteed, then the products should not be sold. »