Toy maker Vtech hacked exposing data of thousands of kids

The app store database of Vtech, originally known as Video Technology Limited, the largest manufacturer of electronic toys, was recently hacked. The company called the hackers "an unauthoriesd party" who managed to obtain access to its app store - Learning Lodge - on 14 November.

The Learning Lodge allows customers to download apps, learning games, e-books, and other educational content. The database includes customer data from a number of countries across the globe including the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Latin America, Hong Kong, China, Australia and New Zealand.

In an official statement, the company confirmed that it conducted an investigation immediately after the data breach. After receiving an email asking about the incident on 23 November, the company carried out an investigation and found some irregular activity on the Learning Lodge site.

The affected databases contain user information such as names, email IDs, passwords, questions and answers for password retrieval, IP addresses, and mailing addresses as well as download history. They do not contain customers' credit card information or any personal identification data such as ID card numbers, social security numbers or driving licence details.

"VTech does not process nor store any customer credit card data on the Learning Lodge website. To complete the payment or check-out process of any downloads made on the Learning Lodge website, our customers are directed to a secure, third party payment gateway," explains the company.

It adds that it is looking for several methods to strengthen the security of its app store database. "We are committed to protecting our customer information and their privacy, to ensure against any such incidents in the future."

While the company did not reveal details about how many customers were affected by the data breach, Motherboard, which first reported about it, notes that the hack exposed personal information of about five million parents who bought products from Vtech and more 200,000 kids.

According to an expert quoted by Motherboard, the breach also exposes kids' identities and where they live. This is the fourth largest consumer data breach, according to the website that goes by the name Have I been pwned, which allows users to check if their accounts have been compromised in a data breach.