There really have been a couple of creepy stories in recent days about hackers breaking into people’s Ring security cameras.
“There is actually a channel that someone has put together, like a YouTube channel, of hacked-into security cameras,” says Bob O’Donnell, the president of TECHnalysis Research. “And they’re trying to do it for fun and they’re harassing the people. I mean, it’s really sick.”
O’Donnell says it’s not likely this has anything to do with security camera system, but rather how the owner sets them up.
“People who are just using the basic default settings or doing no password because the convenience of wanting to get in there to change their settings, are leaving themselves open for people to come in from the outside,” the tech expert says.
Hackers often reuse stolen or leaked credentials. They could get the info from past data breaches that expose usernames and passwords that people use on multiple devices.
O’Donnell says people should change their security camera passwords regularly and set up two-factor authentication.
“Basically, it means the equivalent of like a fingerprint scan and a password or a hardware key and a password, or a facial scan and a fingerprint,” O’Donnell says. “Bottom line is it’s two different things you need to get into to access your account.”
O’Donnell says the bottom line is security cameras do bring peace of mind and convenience when they’re managed properly.
