Hackers Take Over Popular Kiddie Website
Posted by JeanneSager at 12:00 PM on July 10, 2009
If your kids are wasting away their school holidays online, you might want to set your Net Nanny to block at least one Website. Hackers have reportedly taken over a popular children’s site, and unsuspecting kids are loading up on malware as you read this.
Neopets, owned by Viacom, is one of those “adopt a cyber pet” spots where kids can play games and chat with other kids. Kids can play free, but a pay-to-play option means parents have been expressing concern over identity security issues. So far, Viacom said that’s not the issue – credit card numbers are safe.
Right now, the main problem seems to be messages sent via the Neopets bulletin boards, offering kids a chance to get a “magic paintbrush,” used on the site to paint their pets in different colors. Generally, kids have to buy them with Neopoints, the points earned via game play and “selling” things to one another on the site. But the offers to get them free are luring kids to click on a link to a “secret” Website. Click the link, and malware hops into the kids’ computers where it gets to work on doing what evil malware does.
Viacom says it’s working on the problem, and it isn’t an issue if kids aren’t clicking on the links.
My daughter doesn’t go online without my husband or I right there – she is generally sitting on our lap. She’s only four, so that’s a part of it, but my husband and I also depend on our computers for our livelihoods. We simply can’t risk her doing something because she doesn’t know any better. But I know a lot of families who let their kids go onto sites like these because there’s an assumption of safety.
Which only drives home why it’s a good idea to set up a “trash” computer for your kids if they’re old enough to go online. They don’t need the fastest set up or a full range of programs, so an old system that you’ve wiped of all identifying information works best – it’s also the cheapest option.
Do you let your kids use your computer?
Image: Neopets
Update: A poster below claims the problem is now fixed. Let us know if you have any other problems with the site.
This post, especially the title, is the most misleading and misrepresented article I have ever seen written. You should really get your facts straight before posting articles. Most of this content was taken from Fox news, such as your examples with the “magical paint brushes.” They aren’t even called magical on the site, they are merely paint brushes.
The title is my biggest peeve, NO ONE took over Neopets.com. If someone took over Neopets.com you would know it. The problem really wasn’t even that major and was controlled within a few days. As far as I’m aware there haven’t been any more issues and it’s been about a full week, if not more.
I don’t even know what else to say. I hope this article is forced off the internet because it’s completely falsified by “facts” that Fox news created in their original story covering this, but at least they didn’t claim Neopets was taken over… what a joke.
Kids under 13 can’t communicate on the site and can’t receive messages under a parent signs and sends in a parental consent form.
*unless a parent…
It’s sensacionalism. TNT (Viacom) are in the case. THe guilt isn’t of Neopets, is your. If the parents don’t teach your child how to self-protect in a children site, I’ll be sad when this child go to a mature site. Just keep the child will no help in a long time. Excuse my english.