{“lastseen”:”2026-01-08T14:05:07″,”description”:”Lego just made what it claims is its most important product release since it introduced minifigures in 1978. No, it’s not yet another brand franchise. It’s a computer in a brick. \\n\\nCalled the **Smart Brick** , it’s part of a broader system called **Smart Play** that Lego hopes will revolutionize your child’s interaction with Lego.\\n\\nThese aren’t your grandma’s Lego bricks. The 2\u00d74 techno-brick houses a custom ASIC chip that Lego says is smaller than a single Lego stud, measuring about 4.1mm. Inside are accelerometers, light and sound sensors, an LED array, and a miniature speaker with an onboard synthesizer that generates sound effects in real time, rather than just playing pre-recorded clips.\\n\\n## How the pieces talk to each other\\n\\nThe bricks charge wirelessly on a dedicated pad and contain batteries that Lego says can last for years. They also communicate with each other to trigger actions, such as interactive sound effects.\\n\\nThis is where the other Smart Play components come in: **Smart Tags** and **Smart Minifigures**. The 2\u00d72 stud-less Smart Tags contain unique digital IDs that tell bricks how to behave. A helicopter tag, for example, might trigger propeller sounds. \\n\\nThere’s also a **Neighbor Position Measurement** system that detects brick proximity and orientation. So a brick might do different things as it gets closer to a Smart Tag or Smart Minifigure, for example.\\n\\n## The privacy implications of Smart Bricks\\n\\nAny time parents hear about toys communicating with other devices, they’re right to be nervous. They’ve had to contend with toys that give up kids’ sensitive personal data and allegedly have the potential to become listening devices for surveillance. \\n\\nHowever, Lego says its proprietary Bluetooth-based protocol, called **BrickNet** , comes with encryption and built-in privacy controls.\\n\\nOne clear upside is that the system doesn’t need an internet connection for these devices to work, and there are no screens or companion apps involved either. For parents weary of reading about children\u2019s apps quietly harvesting data, that alone will come as a relief.\\n\\nLego also makes specific privacy assurances. Yes, there’s a microphone in the Smart Brick, but no, it doesn’t record sound (it’s just a sensor), the company says. There are no cameras either.\\n\\nPerhaps the biggest relief of all, though, is that there’s no AI in this brick. \\n\\nAt a time when \u201cAI-powered\u201d is being sprinkled over everything from washing machines to toilets, skipping AI may be the smartest design decision here. AI-driven toys come with their own risks, especially when children don\u2019t get a meaningful choice about how that technology behaves once it\u2019s out of the box.\\n\\nIn the past, they’ve been subjected to sexual content from AI-powered teddy bears. Against that backdrop, Lego\u2019s restraint feels deliberate, and welcome.\\n\\n## Are these the bricks you’re looking for?\\n\\nWill the world take to Smart Bricks? Probably. \\n\\nShould it? The best response comes from my seven-year-old, scoffing, \\n\\n\\u003e \\”Kids can make enough annoying noises themselves.\\”\\n\\nWe won’t have long to wait to find out. Lego announced Lucasafilm as its first Smart Play partner when it unveiled the system at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this week, and pre-orders open on January 9. The initial lineup includes three kits: Tie Fighters, X-Wings, and A-Wings, complete with associated scenery. \\n\\nExpect lots of engine, laser, and light sabre sounds from those rigs \u2014 and perhaps a lack of adorable sound effects from your kids when the blocks start doing the work. That makes us a little sad.\\n\\nMore optimistically, perhaps there are opportunities for creative play, such as devices that spin, flip, and light up based on their communications with other bricks. That could turn this into more of a experiment in basic circuitry and interaction than a simple noise-making device. One of the best things about watching kids play is how far outside the box they think.\\n\\nWhatever your view on Lego’s latest development, it doesn’t seem like it’ll let people tailor advertising to your kids, whisper atrocities at them from afar, or hack your home network. That, at the very least, is a win.\\n\\n* * *\\n\\n**We don ‘t just report on data privacy\u2014we help you remove your personal information**\\n\\nCybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. With Malwarebytes Personal Data Remover, you can scan to find out which sites are exposing your personal information, and then delete that sensitive data from the internet.”,”published”:”2026-01-08T13:35:52″,”modified”:”2026-01-08T13:35:52″,”type”:”malwarebytes”,”title”:”Lego\u2019s Smart Bricks explained: what they do, and what they don\u2019t”,”source”:””,”references”:””,”id”:”MALWAREBYTES:643C3B41D97CB604F337650D244CF6C7″,”bulletinFamily”:”blog”,”cwe”:null,”cvelist”:[],”sourceData”:””,”sourceHref”:””,”cvss”:{“score”:0,”severity”:”NONE”,”vector”:”NONE”,”version”:”NONE”},”cvss2″:{},”cvss3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””,”cvssV3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””}},”href”:”https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/family-and-parenting\/2026\/01\/legos-smart-bricks-explained-what-they-do-and-what-they-dont”,”category_name”:”News”,”post_link”:””,”product”:””,”version”:””,”vendor”:””,”ai_description”:””,”ai_severity”:””,”ai_vendor”:””,”ai_product”:””,”ai_version”:””,”ai_score”:0}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
{“lastseen”:”2026-01-08T14:05:07″,”description”:”Lego just made what it claims is its most important product release since it introduced minifigures in 1978. No, it’s not yet another brand franchise….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,8,12,115,13,33,7,11,5],"class_list":["post-34627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-category_news","tag-cve","tag-cvss","tag-exploit","tag-malwarebytes","tag-news","tag-none","tag-security","tag-tapic","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\n