Cloud Pets sound like a great idea: by downloading an app, family members can record and share messages with each other, then send them to their child's talking "pet."
It's perfect for families where one parent is away for work, or for grandparents who live far away from their grandchildren. All you have to do is press a button and your message is sent into the child's favorite toy.
But hackers have managed to steal the usernames and passwords of parents who own Cloud Pets and have stolen their messages. There's no telling what the over 2 million private messages and conversations they took will be used for, but it's a serious breach of privacy anyways.
More than 820,000 Cloud Pets users were affected by the breach. Spiral Toys, the company that makes Cloud Pets, hasn't responded to the news yet, but security experts who noticed it have been warning parents who may be affected.
This story highlights one of the difficult things about parenting today: toys connected to the internet, like Cloud Pets, My Friend Cayla, and even your own TV could be spying on you and your children.
If you're concerned that you might be affected by the breach, you can check using the website Have I been pwned?
