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Hackers infiltrating Ring’s customer information
They’re some of the most popular electronic gadgets anywhere... those Ring cameras installed on front doors and in homes for security. But now a new spotlight is being shed on them and cameras like them about how vulnerable they are to hackers.
LOS ANGELES - By now, you may have seen the videos of strange voices coming out of Ring devices. In one, a little girl is clearly scared, by a voice claiming to be Santa Claus, in another incident, a male voice asks a boy his name.
Somehow hackers gained access to the cameras installed in and around homes for extra security. How that happened is debatable. The Ring company, based in Santa Monica said, “Ring has not had a data breach. Our security team has investigated these incidents and we have no evidence of an unauthorized intrusion or compromise of Ring’s systems or network.”
It’s creepy enough that hackers gained access to the cameras, but scarier still, the same creeps also had access to the information associated with the Ring account. That would include, user name, password, home address and where the camera is located.
The reason why a hacker goes after your Ring may be as simple as giggles and raising reputation in the hacking world, or there could be a more nefarious reason. Personal information is what some hackers need to really wreak havoc.
Security engineer Garret Grajek said, “Maybe you have $1,000 or $2,000 in your checking account, but if I can steal your identity and can create 20 credit cards, that’s worth a lot more to me. That’s the real value.”
It’s objectionable to blame Ring’s customers for the hack, but Grajek says many of the hacks could have been prevented if consumers used stronger passwords. He goes on to advise, never use the same log in and password for multiple accounts, and as was recommended by a recent Ring email to all is customers, “turn on two factor authorization.”