Cayla, a new doll from Genesis Toys seems like such a nice girl, but according to the Bundesnetagentur, the German telecommunications regulatory agency, she is a spy and she is now banned from Germany. Cayla is a part of the ever expanding Internet of Things and according to the Bundesnetagentur, Cayla has hidden cameras and microphones that could be used to record private conversations over an insecure Bluetooth connection.

Cayla is not the first doll to be so equipped, In the Fall of 2015, the latest incarnation of Barbie, the “Hello Barbie” was introduced.  Hello Barbie also has hidden microphones and speakers, but  instead of Bluetooth technology, uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) which is an encryption protocol to protect the privacy and security of communications

TIPS

Many of the devices that make up the Internet of Things come with preset passwords that can easily be discovered by hackers.  Change your password as soon as you set up the product.  Also, set up a guest network on your router exclusively for your Internet of Things devices.