Ring, one of the most popular smart doorbell producers, faced major security problems when a Tennessee family claimed a man hacked into the smart doorbells of their home. According to Fox 6 News, Samantha and Lamont Westmoreland, a couple, said hackers had raided their home by compromising the connected devices. In response to the incident, Ring said there was no vulnerability in the system that would have allowed the hackers to gain access.
According to Which, Hackers are able to manipulate ring devices, causing homeowners to try to reconfigure them, allowing nearby hackers to infiltrate the network, gain access and possibly organize a major attack on the network. In response to the recent hacks and security tests, Ring said that many customers use their login credentials from their accounts for other services, giving bad actors access. The team also discovered that you don’t have to do the hack yourself: for an attacker to gain access to network credentials after they have been transferred to an open network, they just have to make the user believe that their device is not working and restart the original authentication process that leaks network details. Hackers use the same process everywhere as soon as they come to market, and then publicly share the password information.
The hackers also tested the security of smart thermostats and other household smart devices, and found that it is possible to turn these devices into unprotected Wi-Fi access points.
If end users find that their home router has been hacked, they are advised to either throw it away or buy a new one. Reduce the risk of your smart devices being hacked and your data stolen by having them set up and installed by home security experts.
The new findings, based on Amazon’s own connected doorbells, come after several privacy and security incidents involving Ring last year. Last month, a report on the motherboard detailed how the company failed to allow users to log into its address book without informing the owner, making it easy for hackers to turn off the company’s cameras for Ring customers.
In 2016, security researchers from Pen Ten Partners found vulnerabilities in bells that would allow potential hackers to steal Wi-Fi passwords. This was highlighted in a study by Ben-Gurion University, which found that the devices could be compromised by Googling factory settings and passwords, as well as by using third-party software.
Internet security company VPNmentor has worked with a team of ethical hackers to assess the security of some of the most popular devices in the smart home and test the security of smart doorbells, smart cameras and smart thermostats. IoT devices were broken up without any securing devices. Hackers have even created their own podcast, NulledCast, in which they dismantle people’s ringtones and harass unsuspecting device users. While the findings are troubling, VPNmentor has compiled a list of recommendations to help protect smart home owners from becoming easy targets.
You only need to use your smart doorbells with your smartphone and the doorbell app, but a smart home security system with a secure Wi-Fi network reduces the risk of losing or stealing the device. When you buy a WiFi-enabled camera, you should also consider the privacy concerns that come with such a device, as well as the security of your home.