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Many adults are wary that their electronic services, credit cards and other personal information could get leaked or stolen by unsuspecting identity fraud perpetrators or by targeted companies. But most consumers don't consider the possibility of their children's information being affected.
VTech, a global supplier of electronic learning toys and products for children, confirmed a data breach Monday after an unauthorized party accessed information on Learning Lodge, the company's app store database.
Here's what you need to know:
1. What happened?
Hackers stole information from over 5 million adults and children after they attacked the Hong Kong digital toy maker VTech, which sells tablets and other educational tools. Passwords, security questions and answers, I.P. and mailing addresses were compromised, according to the New York Times.
Parent users are mostly upset by the breach of chat logs, download histories and photos of children who used the Kid Connect service to communicate with their parents, according to Reuters.
2. How did it happen?
VTech's online store Learning Lodge was targeted, according to a release. The information was taken in an attack on a portal used to download games to computer tablets.
3. Who is affected?
More than 5 million accounts were hacked, including hundreds of thousands of children's accounts, the company said.
4. When did it happen?
The hack occurred on Nov. 14, according to the Times. The company made the public aware of its findings via press releases on Nov. 27 and Nov. 30.
5. Why was VTech targeted?
It's unclear why VTech was targeted, but attorneys general in Illinois and Connecticut announced that they will investigate the incident.
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