THE Malwarebytes piece reports that Energize Lab’s Eiliko robot companion has serious security flaws that could expose private chats and allow an attacker to remotely alter what the toy says. The Verge describes how a researcher was able to access 13 million conversations and what appears to be the entire active fleet of 68,000 robots, with the United States accounting for the largest share of user profiles—over 31,000 children.
The identified issues revolve around how the service analyses conversations to build profiles that include names, ages, birthdays, relationships, occupations, and assessments of personality and emotional vulnerability, with these data stored alongside email addresses, IP addresses, and searchable transcripts.
The investigation also notes that some photos, including apparent images of children from a related camera-equipped device, and short audio recordings were accessible at public web addresses. This retention of audio conflicts with the company’s privacy policy, which states recordings are deleted immediately after processing.
Even more concerning, the researcher demonstrated remote manipulation of the AI by altering a specific journalist’s robot memory and behaviour to generate invented personal details, insist the Earth is flat, and eventually produce sexually explicit, abusive dialogue. The report suggests that similar manipulation could affect the entire fleet.
In terms of response, the article urges caution for current users—disabling Wi‑Fi during checks, researching third‑party safety reviews, testing devices before letting children use them, enabling available parental controls, and promptly reporting problems. It emphasises that safety, privacy, and prudent scrutiny should take precedence over the technology’s novelty.