VTech suffers security breach
VTech's Kidizoom Action Cam lets active children capture videos and photos when they're on the move. It comes with two mounts so kids ages 4 and older can attach it to their bike, skateboard and more. It also comes with a waterproof case so they can take pictures or videos under water; $59.99, available Summer 2015. Credit: VTech
A data breach in mid-November on VTech’s Learning Lodge app has exposed customer data from about 5 million accounts and related kids’ profiles in more than a dozen countries, including the United States.
The Learning Lodge app allows customers to download apps, learning games and e-books to VTech products. The company learned of the breach after a Canadian journalist emailed the company to ask about the incident on Nov. 23, according to an FAQ roundup on VTech’s website. The breach occurred on Nov. 14, 2015, and VTech notified customers on Nov. 27.
The customer database includes information such as name, email address, mailing address and download history, as well as kids' names, genders and birth dates.
The app doesn’t include credit card data or identification such as Social Security numbers, according to VTech. “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,” the company says.
As what VTech calls “an additional precautionary measure,” the company has temporarily suspended Learning Lodge and additional websites for “security assessment and fortification.”
