Tag Archive for: Doorbell

How to stop hackers from spying on you through a Ring camera or video doorbell

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People who use internet-enabled security camera systems like Amazon Ring or Google Nest to keep their homes safe could be opening up their virtual worlds to hackers, or even employees of the companies.

The devices, typically placed on the outside of homes and aimed at entryways, record live footage of who is approaching the premises, with many residents using the technology to deter package thieves and otherwise monitor their homes. But users who don’t properly secure their devices could be inviting criminals to snoop around their digital networks and potentially gain access to reams of sensitive personal data. 

In a case highlighting such vulnerabilities, Amazon this week agreed to pay $5.8 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle allegations it gave its Ring surveillance employees “unfettered” access to personal videos. The agency in its lawsuit also claimed that Amazon failed to protect customer security, leading to hackers threatening or sexually propositioning Ring owners.

Gavin Millard, a cybersecurity expert at Tenable, a firm that alerts clients to tech vulnerabilities, said there are ways to leverage video doorbells and cameras’ security features without exposing one’s private lives and information to bad actors. Here are five ways users of the technology can protect themselves.

Reset default username and password

Never keep the username and password that a home security system assigns you by default. Because they can be easily guessed by hackers, they should be changed immediately, Millard said. 

“Often when consumers buy the devices, they don’t change them from their default, insecure configurations,” Millard told CBS MoneyWatch. 

Changing this password is crucial because once hackers breach one device, they can explore others that are connected to the same home network. For example, bad actors can use search engine Shodan to scan the whole internet for any connected devices, from webcams to smart lightbulbs. 

“I can ask it to show me every single internet-connected camera and try ‘Admin’ and ‘Password’ as the username and password, and you could access the video streams of any that are vulnerable,” he explained. 

Two-factor authentication

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FBI seeing more ‘swatting’ crimes as people hack into Ring doorbell cameras

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Ring cameras can be a great safety tool, but the device can be manipulated by criminals if you don’t take precautions.

Thieves can gain access to your security cameras and even make false police reports.

In one home, a strange voice comes over a Ring camera in a little girl’s bedroom. The family’s security system had been hacked.

In another instance, police knocked on the door of a home after responding to a fake call of a disturbance.

Both are examples of what the FBI calls “Ring swatting.”

Now two men accused of carrying out a nationwide swatting spree and hacking into dozens of Ring cameras have been indicted by a federal grand jury in California.

One of the incidents allegedly occurred in Darien, Illinois, about a year ago. When police responded to the house, they found nothing going on and determined it to be a hoax.

“The cameras are vulnerable because they are not properly secured,” said Cyrus Walker, a cyber security expert with Chicago-based Data Defenders LLC.

According to Walker, you have to not only secure the cameras but the internet network that allows them to connect to each other and the outside world.

“The one thing I recommend is that users make sure their wireless networks are as secure as they can be, which means that they have strong passwords,” Walker said. “That they are not broadcasting their SSID. That they have encryption enabled to the highest degree and that they separate the networks.”

Walker said cameras are not the only way in for hackers. TVs, game systems and even refrigerators can be connected to the internet and can be compromised.

He said the first thing you should do when you buy a new connected device is change its default security settings.

“The device that you bought, someone else bought also, and they have those same default settings,” Walker said. “So it is extremely important that when you crack the tape on that box and you plug it up, the very first thing you do is that you change the username and the password on that device so that only you have access to that device at that point.”

Cybersecurity, Walker said, isn’t difficult, but it does require people to do more than just plug in their devices and turn them on.

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How To Conserve Battery On Your Nest Camera & Doorbell

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The latest entries in security from Google’s Nest are a camera and doorbell that run solely on battery. The convenience that offers, namely the ability to put a camera or doorbell anywhere, can’t be overstated. Especially since the doorbell doesn’t even require a chime. At least, that’s the case if you happen to have any Nest speakers or hubs. But what do you do when you need to conserve energy to make your Nest Doorbell or Camera battery last longer?

Fortunately, Google does include several ways you can adjust settings and tweak controls to that end. And that’s exactly what this guide sets out to explain. So if you want to get the most out of your new Nest Camera (Battery) or Doorbell (Battery), read on.

You don’t need to use every setting in this guide but that will get you the most bang for your buck

Now, with recent news circulating, about Google’s Nest Doorbell (Battery) in particular, learning how to conserve battery is a must. For clarity, the doorbell simply doesn’t gain charge at all when the temperature drops below freezing. Specifically, for those with a power source such as a solar panel attached. And it won’t maintain its current charge either under those conditions.

Conversely, the cold also means that the battery drains faster. And that holds true for both the doorbell and the camera.

This guide will walk through some of the power-saving measures available for Google’s battery-powered Nest assortment in a bid to help extend longevity when it’s really needed. Such as under those conditions described above. But while all of the settings here will extend battery life, you don’t need to use them all.

Google does include one setting in particular that may be of interest to you if, for example, you don’t want to lower video quality. Or at least if you don’t want it lowered all of the time. But there’s a lot of customization to go through.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how you can conserve battery for your Nest Camera or Doorbell products.

Start with the basics to conserve your Nest camera or doorbell battery

The easiest way to save battery with your Nest gadget is to use the method Google has already built-in for that. So that’s the…

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Smart Doorbell Disaster: Many Brands Vulnerable to Attack – Threatpost

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Smart Doorbell Disaster: Many Brands Vulnerable to Attack  Threatpost

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