2 steps to avoid Amazon Ring hackers
Password security is the key, expert says
With multiple stories coming to light of hackers tapping into Amazon Ring camera security systems, frightening residents, many people are asking how they can protect their loved ones.
SentinalOne chief security officer Morgan Wright told FOX Business' Hillary Vaughn there are two easy steps a user can take to hopefully avoid it:
Change your password
If you're ever notified that your information has been part of a data breach, you should take it seriously since these hackers often get your information through those.
AMAZON RING HACKERS LIVESTREAMED THEMSELVES TERRORIZING RESIDENTS
Hackers will often run purchased emails and passwords through a program that tells them which ones will give them access to cameras.
Set up two-factor authentication
For those not aware of two-factor authentication, it works like this: When you log in to an account using an unauthorized device, it prompts another confirmation level to prove you are you.
For instance, if you log into an account, it may ask if you want to be emailed or texted a confirmation code, which sets up another level of proof and can prevent further hacks.
In December, news broke of a Mississippi couple whose family was terrorized by a Ring hacker who accessed the camera installed in their young daughter's bedroom and began speaking to their 8-year-old.
AMAZON RING HACKER ACCESSED CAMERA IN CHILD'S ROOM, TOLD GIRL HE WAS SANTA CLAUS
The children’s mother, Ashley LeMay, told FOX Business the camera – which allows someone on one end of the camera to speak to the other end – had been set up only four days before her daughter heard music playing in the bedroom on Dec. 4. WMC Action News 5 first reported the breach.
“I was in the hallway, I thought it was my sister because I was hearing some music,” the child told the outlet. "So I come upstairs and I hear some banging noise and I was like ‘who is that?’”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
After asking the question, the hacker responded, “I’m your best friend. I’m Santa Claus,” according to a video posted by the news station.
LeMay said she has since been contacted by the FBI.
"There's people that are paying for this," she said. "They're paying to watch my daughter being terrorized and they're waiting to see what her response is."
AMAZON’S RING HOME SECURITY AIMS FOR SAFETY, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR PRIVACY?
A spokesperson for Ring said in a statement to FOX Business the company encourages users to enable two-factor authentication.
"Our security team has investigated this incident, and we have no evidence of an unauthorized intrusion or compromise of Ring’s systems or network. Recently, we were made aware of an incident where malicious actors obtained some Ring users’ account credentials (e.g., username and password) from a separate, external, non-Ring service and reused them to log in to some Ring accounts," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, when the same username and password is reused on multiple services, it’s possible for bad actors to gain access to many accounts. Upon learning of the incident, we took appropriate actions to promptly block bad actors from known affected Ring accounts and affected users have been contacted."
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
FOX Business' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.