GEC NEWS WIRETrend Micro has published “Internet of Things Buyer’s Guide for Smart Parents and Guardians” as part of an informative content package for holiday shoppers. Infographics and an interactive quiz are also available, highlighting product features that threat actors can use for accessing personal information and monetary exploitation.
“Our goal with these resources is to help parents and guardians keep their families safe from online privacy and security risks,” said Lynette Owens, founder and global director of Internet Safety for Kids & Families at Trend Micro. “So many things that our children use daily, including toys, games, and apps, are increasingly connected to the internet and collecting a lot of information. Our goal is to raise as much awareness about this among all consumers, but especially parents whose kids may be impacted. We believe a more informed consumer is a safer one.”
In 2015, a global provider of electronic learning products was breached by threat actors. This data breach resulted in the attackers gaining access to more than 6.3 million child-related profiles and 4.8 million parental accounts, which demonstrated the impact attacks of this kind can have on kids and families. Trend Micro has released this buyer’s guide and interactive content package to prepare shoppers this holiday season and inform parents and guardians about potential privacy and security vulnerabilities in smart toy features and other internet-connected devices. This information is designed to help empower shoppers to make more informed decisions and potentially avoid falling victim to cybercriminals planning to exploit holiday shopping for their own gain.
