Amazon's Ring mandates two-factor authentication after camera intrusions
A customer sued Amazon in December following a Ring hacking incident involving his children
Amazon home security system Ring made two-factor authentification a requirement rather than an option for all customers starting Tuesday, the company said in a blog post.
The announcement came after Google-owned home security system Nest said Jan. 6 that it would require all customers to use two-factor authentication starting this spring.
"While we already offered two-factor authentication to customers, starting today we’re making a second layer of verification mandatory for all users when they log into their Ring accounts. This added authentication helps prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your Ring account, even if they have your username and password," the blog post reads.
Ring for Business (Ring)
To access Ring accounts, customers will enter their usernames and passwords on the app before receiving a six-digit code via text message that they will then have to enter into the app to complete the login process, according to the post.
2 STEPS TO AVOID AMAZON RING HACKERS
Ring announced other security updates for customers, including a "Control Center" tool, in a Jan. 31 blog post after a customer sued Amazon in December for negligence, invasion of privacy, breach of implied contract, breach of implied warranty and unjust enrichment following a Ring hacking incident involving his children.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Ring and Amazon knew about the insufficiency of the system's security before several similar incidents were exposed in the news.
"Ring does not fulfill its core promise of providing privacy and security for its customers," the class-action lawsuit read. "...Hackers routinely terroriz[e] occupants, invade their privacy and undermine their sense of safety and security."
The security company and Amazon have since been making an effort to reassure customers that their sensitive security information is, in fact, secure.
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The "Control Center," for example, gives users more control over who can and can't access their information and video footage. It also allows users to "manage important privacy and security settings from one simple, easy-to-use dashboard" on iOS and Android devices, Ring said.
Additionally, the feature lets customers add and remove shared account users, view and remove other devices and third-party services authorized to enter their accounts and opt out of video footage-sharing request notifications from law enforcement. Control Center also includes a "Law Enforcement Map," which lets users know which police stations use Ring's "Neighbors" app, according to Ring.
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