It’s one thing to have your account hacked into by an experienced computer hacker. But, what if that hacker happens to be a five-year-old?
When Kristoffer Von Hassel of Ocean Beach, California, couldn’t figure out his father’s Xbox password, he did what most five-years-old probably can’t do, he bypassed the security screen. According to ABC10, he first typed in the wrong password. Then proceeded to type only space keys followed by hitting enter, when shown a password verification screen. This allowed him access to his Dad’s account.
His parents started noticing that he gained access to games he shouldn’t have been able to play, and contacted Microsoft to inform them about the glitch in their security system. The software giant awarded Von Hassel four games, 50 bucks, and a one year subscription to Xbox Live.
“We’re always listening to our customers and thank them for bringing issues to our attention,” the company said in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post. “We take security seriously at Xbox and fixed the issue as soon as we learned about it.”
This isn’t Kristoffer’s first time getting pass a security screen. According to ABC10, he was able to unlock a cell phone by holding down the home key at age one. His father, who happens to work as a computer technician thinks this is awesome. Clearly, the knack for computers runs in the family and it looks like this little guy may have found his calling.
However, as a mom of a three-year-old, I’d be be a bit concerned. It’s obvious that Kristoffer’s parents didn’t intend for him to play these games. I only hope that they take precautions to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
I’m always trying to take preventative measures in my home. We don’t have Xbox, but Princess does have an iPad with different apps – including Netflix. One day my husband noticed her watching something she wasn’t supposed to. We then changed the settings so that the kids only section would appear. She hasn’t been able to bypass this feature. But after reading about Kristoffer, I wouldn’t be surprised if she eventually figures it out. Kids nowadays are just way too smart for their own good.
What precautions do you take to ensure your kids don’t get into things they’re not suppose.
Kristoffer is very, very clever. I hope when he grows up he’ll use his powers for good.
My son, age 6, is very good at listenting when told he’s not allowed to do something. I realize I’m very lucky and that this probably (most likely) won’t last forever. Also, he asks before using his ipad or playing video games, and our xbox is in the living room, where we will see him playing with it. He’s not at an age where we typically leave him alone for long enough periods of time to break into anything.