As we get more 'connected' we need to think 'smart’ on cyber security

She hasn’t yet made it to our shores but if and when Hello Barbie lands in Irish toyshops, one cyber security expert suggests we bid her a swift goodbye.

The wi-fi-enabled talking version of the omnipresent doll is designed to analyse a child’s speech and formulate appropriate responses but in doing so, she records everything she hears while she’s activated and stores it all in cyberspace.

And if the idea of some cloud computer technician listening in to your child’s play seems creepy, it’s only the tip of the iceberg as regards familiar devices from toys to TVs to the family car being equipped to spy on us — and being exposed to hackers in the process.