Toymaker VTech says data was stolen from its kiddie app store
The company says no credit card data was exposed.
VTech, the brand best known for its electronic kid's toys and cordless phones, said Friday that hackers had earlier this month stolen some of its customer data. While VTech is hardly the first company to see its user info compromised, the target here was relatively unusual: an app store for children. Learning Lodge, as it's called, is a storefront where kids and their parents can download apps, games, e-books and various educational materials. While it's a bit disturbing to imagine a breach that even tangentially involves children, the company says that no "personal identification data" (social security numbers, et cetera) was compromised. VTech says no credit card information was exposed either.
That said, some of the information sure sounds personally identifiable. All told, says VTech, the hackers obtained access to things like usernames, encrypted passwords, email addresses, IP addresses users' download histories, and answers to security questions. So, although the company says it "conducted a thorough investigation, which involved a comprehensive check of the affected site and implementation of measures to defend against any further attacks," you might want to reset your kiddo's account anyway, complete with a new password and possibly username and email address too.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
