• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
RetailHackers

More than 200,000 Kids Just Got Hacked: UPDATED

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 30, 2015, 1:45 PM ET
Chris Morris
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The personal data of hundreds of thousands of children has been compromised following a hack on toy maker VTech.

The Hong Kong-based children’s electronics manufacturer confirmed that an “unauthorized party” accessed data housed on its Learning Lodge app store earlier this month affecting “about 5 million customer accounts and related kids profiles worldwide”. The Motherboard website, which says it received the data dump from the hacker and had security expert Troy Hunt review it, says information from over 200,000 children was included in the breach. The company announced the hack on Black Friday – a day when consumers are traditionally more focused on buying products, rather than worrying about their security.

The hacked data includes names, email addresses, passwords, and home addresses of parents – along with the first names, genders and birthdays of affected children. Hunt notes the data points can be linked to pinpoint children’s addresses, potentially putting them at risk. In a blog post, he wrote:

“When it’s hundreds of thousands of children including their names, genders and birthdates, that’s off the charts. When it includes their parents as well – along with their home address – and you can link the two and emphatically say “Here is 9 year old Mary, I know where she lives and I have other personally identifiable information about her parents (including their password and security question)”, I start to run out of superlatives to even describe how bad that is.”

UPDATE (November 30, 3:30 pm): Beyond the demographic and personal information that was taken from VTech’s servers, the hacker also tells Motherboard he has obtained thousands of children’s and family’s images taken with the cameras on the company’s tablets and other products – as well as chatlogs and audio recordings of children. These, too, can be linked to specific usernames, which can sometimes be tied to home addresses.

VTech is referring all questions about the security breach to a public relations firm. Officials at that firm did not immediately reply to Fortune‘s inquiries, seeking confirmation of the breach of photos and more. Nor did they explain why VTech was keeping such data on its servers, rather than the products’ internal memory. (Fortune will update this story when and if we hear back.)

The Learning Lodge app store lets customers download apps, learning games, e-books and more. VTech says it has temporarily shut down the service along with 13 of its Websites to assess and reinforce their security.

VTech also noted that its database does not contain personal information such as Social Security numbers or credit card information.

The breach affected users in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Latin America, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and Australia. The company says it has reached out to every account holder in its database (via email) to alert them to the breach.

“We are committed to protecting our customer information and their privacy, to ensure against any such incidents in the future,” VTech said in a statement.

Security experts say this is one of the largest breaches of children’s data on record – and note that there’s an increasing demand for that data on the black market.

“In the hacker community, children’s data is so much more valuable than adult data when you’re trying to create new identities,” says Hemu Nigam, founder of SSP Blue, an Internet security consultant business and former VP of internet enforcement at the MPAA. “Because there’s no existing record, a hacker can create a credit card application using legitimate information and the child and parent won’t know it happened until the child becomes of adult age – and by that time, they have an awful credit score and don’t know what’s going on.”

The hack comes as the issue of children’s privacy is in focus this holiday season. Activists have sounded the warning on Mattel’s high-tech Hello Barbie doll, which records a message from kids which is then analyzed by a Mattel partner before an audio response is returned over the Internet.

“Everything that’s electronic, parents should treat as accessible to a hacker,” says Nigam. “If [you were affected by the VTech hack and] you have children who don’t have credit, I would contact the credit companies and ask ‘is there something in my child’s name’ just in case – and make that a practice every six months to year.”

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
EconomyFortune 500
Record revenues. Record profits. Record revenue per employee. The Fortune 500 is richer than ever—and employing fewer people
By Claire ZillmanJune 19, 2026
9 hours ago
A shopper looks at a beverage display June 4, 2026 at the Market 32 Supermarket in South Burlington, Vermont.
EconomyConsumers
Miserable K-shaped economy might actually be fading, as lower-income families bounce back, says Bank of America
By Eleanor PringleJune 19, 2026
9 hours ago
Piyush Patel
Commentaryshopping
Black Friday already sorted the winners from the losers. Your industry is next
By Piyush PatelJune 19, 2026
10 hours ago
Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA CEO, speaks onstage during a live taping of "Earn Your Leisure" at Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College on January 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
FinanceFortune 500 Companies
Meet the 11 Black Fortune 500 CEOs leading companies with over $432 billion in combined revenues
By Cheyann HarrisJune 19, 2026
11 hours ago
teens
EconomyJobs
Teen summer employment is headed for its worst year since 1948
By Matt Sedensky and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. Polo Assn. CEO
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Meet the CEO of US Polo Assn: He grew up in one of America’s poorest regions and now hosts Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion brand
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
9 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 18, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 18, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.