In the past week there have been press
reports of strangers breaking into Ring accounts and viewing the insides of
homes. In some cases, the hackers talked to a child and to a couple of dogs.
One story has a video of a young
girl in her bedroom being talked to by a male voice through the camera in the
room. Another story has video of two dogs lounging on a couch and a voice trying
to get them to get up off of it.
Ring cameras have been receiving publicity
on social media with videos of porch pirates stealing packages from front
porches. Some homeowners have purchased Ring and other cameras for use indoors,
in children’s bedrooms or front rooms to allow homeowners and parents to monitor
what is going on in their homes. Over the past few years, videos have been posted
showing burglars inside homes stealing items.
Having cameras inside can help
with security to confirm that someone is in your house if the alarm goes off. They
also help to monitor small children when they are in their cribs in their
rooms. However, all sense of security is lost if someone breaks into your
cameras and can observe your possessions and see your family moving around in
your house. And talking to your children gets even creepier yet.
While press reports have used the
term hacked or breaking in, Ring, in its blog, points out that the recent
incidents were not due to an intrusion or compromise of Ring’s computer
systems. Many of the hackers may have obtained the usernames and passwords of
Ring accounts outside of the Ring’s servers such as from databases in the dark
web.
Ring recommends that its customers
do the following:
·
Enable two-factor authentication to access your
account.
·
Add shared users to your account instead of
simply giving them your login information.
·
Do not use the same password for more than one
account.
·
Create strong passwords that have a mix of
letters, numbers, and characters. Some cyber security professionals recommend
passwords with 12 characters or longer. A password generator can help create
strong passwords.
Internet of Things (IoT) such as
cameras and thermostats help us have a more secure and convenient life. In the
early years of IoT, manufacturers have not designed good security measures into
their devices. Both manufacturers and their customers should observe the best
and most recent security practices. IoT manufacturers should make security
robust and easy for customers and customers should practice good security as
they use any IoT device.
The Seattle Times:
KIRO TV:
Ring:
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