Parents of young children everywhere are being urged to keep a close eye on their baby monitors because hackers are using the cameras to target and harass both them and their babies. A recent test found that virtually any baby monitor which is connected to the internet is at risk of being hacked into. A security firm, which independently tested the most popular models on the market, found that ALL of them had serious security flaws. The issues they uncovered are major and basically allow anyone to hack into the systems, where upon they can talk to, listen, and spy on little kids and their families.
This is truly the stuff that nightmares are made of. Imagine a complete and total stranger remotely gaining access to your baby’s bedroom that you thought was safe. Some of the creepy strangers who do this are yelling at the poor kids and their parents, others are taking pictures and posting them online, and many just sit back and spy.
Crimes involving internet connected devices are naturally on the rise as more and more people own and regularly use them. Baby monitors are at a heightened risk because many of them now use WiFi and come with smartphone apps and features. Besides the obvious invasion of privacy that can occur, experts warn it may also lead to identity theft and other crimes.
Parents are being cautioned about the risks associated with the monitors and are urged to carefully weigh all the possibilities, benefits, and cons before installing one. In addition, it cannot be stressed enough that people regularly change their WiFi passwords frequently, as well as any camera network passwords they may have. That is the least, and the easiest thing, you can do to help protect your family and yourself from cybercriminals.
The nightmare of a scenario came true for one couple who lived in Washington state with their 3 year-old son. The little boy told them that he was scared to sleep at night and that a strange man was talking to him on the phone. Unsure about what he meant, they assumed he’d had a nightmare, but a few days alter they heard a voice coming through the baby monitor in their son’s bedroom. The father even heard a man saying something like “wake up little boy, daddy’s looking for you” and the mother heard chatter about how someone was coming as she approached the door.
It dawned on them that some sicko had hacked into their baby monitor and was spying on them. The hacker had even managed to gain control of the night vision feature and was able to move the lens around to the point he could see the entire room. Once in, he could also use the smart phone app feature to handily control the camera!
Completely shaken and disturbed by the whole situation, the parents immediately disconnected the monitor and contacted the maker, Foscam, to notify them of the issue. Foscam already knew of the possibility that a hacker could get in, but said there was no way to figure out who the hacker was or where he was located. Frustrated and perturbed by the company’s response and what had happened, the parents tossed the baby monitor in the trash. They decided to share their story so that more parents are aware of the real potential for danger and incidents like what they went through. If you know anyone with a newborn or young children at home who uses a baby monitor that’s connected to the internet, please this on and help spread the warning just in case they haven’t heard it yet.
This is truly the stuff that nightmares are made of. Imagine a complete and total stranger remotely gaining access to your baby’s bedroom that you thought was safe. Some of the creepy strangers who do this are yelling at the poor kids and their parents, others are taking pictures and posting them online, and many just sit back and spy.
Crimes involving internet connected devices are naturally on the rise as more and more people own and regularly use them. Baby monitors are at a heightened risk because many of them now use WiFi and come with smartphone apps and features. Besides the obvious invasion of privacy that can occur, experts warn it may also lead to identity theft and other crimes.
Parents are being cautioned about the risks associated with the monitors and are urged to carefully weigh all the possibilities, benefits, and cons before installing one. In addition, it cannot be stressed enough that people regularly change their WiFi passwords frequently, as well as any camera network passwords they may have. That is the least, and the easiest thing, you can do to help protect your family and yourself from cybercriminals.
The nightmare of a scenario came true for one couple who lived in Washington state with their 3 year-old son. The little boy told them that he was scared to sleep at night and that a strange man was talking to him on the phone. Unsure about what he meant, they assumed he’d had a nightmare, but a few days alter they heard a voice coming through the baby monitor in their son’s bedroom. The father even heard a man saying something like “wake up little boy, daddy’s looking for you” and the mother heard chatter about how someone was coming as she approached the door.
It dawned on them that some sicko had hacked into their baby monitor and was spying on them. The hacker had even managed to gain control of the night vision feature and was able to move the lens around to the point he could see the entire room. Once in, he could also use the smart phone app feature to handily control the camera!
Completely shaken and disturbed by the whole situation, the parents immediately disconnected the monitor and contacted the maker, Foscam, to notify them of the issue. Foscam already knew of the possibility that a hacker could get in, but said there was no way to figure out who the hacker was or where he was located. Frustrated and perturbed by the company’s response and what had happened, the parents tossed the baby monitor in the trash. They decided to share their story so that more parents are aware of the real potential for danger and incidents like what they went through. If you know anyone with a newborn or young children at home who uses a baby monitor that’s connected to the internet, please this on and help spread the warning just in case they haven’t heard it yet.
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