Norwegian investigators say kids’ smartwatches vulnerable to hackers

Kids’ smartwatches are designed to give peace of mind to parents, enabling them to keep an eye on their child’s location and ensure they stay safe.

However, an investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) of three such watches has revealed worrying security flaws and threats to a child’s privacy.

The NCC found that hackers could easily take control of the watches and use them to track a child’s location, eavesdrop on or communicate with them, or even trick the parents into thinking the watch was somewhere it was not.

Kids’ smartwatches usually have GPS and contain a Sim card, which transmits location data and other information over 2G.

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The parent downloads a companion app to their phone and they can then track the data, as well as access other features, such as setting a ‘geofenced’ safe area in which the child can play in, and get alerts if they move outside of that location.

The NCC asked a security firm, Mnemonic, to look at three watches that are also available in some form in the UK: the Gator, Xplora and SeTracker watches.

Mnemonic found that in just a few simple steps, a stranger could seize control of the Gator and SeTracker watches, and then track, eavesdrop on and even communicate with the child.

 

 

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