SACRAMENTO, California — They are your eyes and ears when you are not home and your piece of mind watching over your family. Security cameras are so useful, but they can do the opposite of what they are intended to do.
Hackers can gain access with weak security. Recently, clips from Ring security cameras started surfacing showing hacks happening across the country.
While Ring and it's parent company Amazon have not said how many security cameras have been hacked, news reports says nearly 4,000 users were victimized.
These series of hacks landed Ring and Amazon in federal court being sued for negligence, invasion of privacy, breach of implied contract, breach of implied warranty and unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit says they’ve known the system's security is insufficient.
"While our investigation is ongoing, we do not have any evidence that this incident is related to a breach or compromise of Ring’s system or network" In Ring officials said in a statement to ABC10. "It is not uncommon for bad actors to harvest data from other company's data breaches and create lists like this so that other bad actors can attempt to gain access to other services."
So how does this happen? How easy is it to hack a security camera? It turns out, it's pretty easy if your passwords are secure, according to Caleb Kwong, the CEO of Savant Solutions.
Kwong is confident the issue here with hacking security cameras comes down to passwords and a brute force entry method, which is essentially trying a list of passwords over and over again until the hackers have access.
Kwong said there's a simple step to ensure your security cameras are secure.
"I think what happened is people are getting hacked, they are using the same passwords for banking and other information," Kwong said. "On the dark web, people can get all the usernames and passwords out there, and they are spreading it across and trying to find which system to log on to. So that’s why for me it's critical for me to use a different password for every website you use."
While Ring is in the headlines for hacking, the issue can happen to any security camera system.
Kwong said it's important to never use the default password given when you first log in. Change it and keep it long and complicated.
He even recommends using a password manager, not through Google or your iPhone cloud, but through a third party company like Dashlane or True Key.
"The more numbers, the more characters, it makes it harder for someone to crack into your password," Kwong said.
He said change your passwords every three months and use a different one for each log in you have. Also, enable a two-factor authentication that ensures whoever is logging in, is actually you, not someone else wanting to talk to your kids or spy on your house while you are home.
Kwong said true security is never convenient because it takes time and effort but it’s worth taking the extra steps and the extra characters to ensure someone doesn't hack into your sense of security.
"People are gullible," Kwong said. "And, again, with security, it's never convenient."
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Madison Wade.
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