Christmas this year brought a nifty new gadget into our home-a Ring doorbell with camera and an Echo Show to display the video of whoever beckons our doorstep–usually small children, neighbors and the UPS guy.
Unfortunately, “Ring” hasn’t been a great success.
The very first night of operation (when our family was out of town) we had four of our college flags stolen off our porch along with the poles vandalized, and the Ring notification system drove us bonkers going off on our phones every five minutes from the wind and trash trucks.
And Ring, what the heck…we have no video footage of the damage!
Then today, I open my cyber newsfeed to this nugget-“Ring” exploited.
What? Ring got hacked?
Security researchers have discovered Ring users’ account credentials posted on the Dark Web. This information can provide hackers with front door access to numerous customer accounts. Given the sensitive nature of their business, this type of access could be especially problematic for users. Moreover, the episode is the company’s second cybersecurity incident this year, which raises questions about their efficacy in an industry that demands excellence when it comes to data security and privacy.
“Individual Risk: Severe: Usernames and passwords are often used to directly access user accounts where criminals can steal additional information or otherwise wreak havoc. While Ring told customers that they are actively monitoring for unusual account activity, users should update their passwords and enable two-factor authentication to ensure that hackers can’t deploy this readily available information to access their accounts.”
So how does this affect me? Fortunately, we did install two-factor authentication but our new password will probably need to be reset only a few days after setting it. It looks like 1562 customers were compromised and we certainly could be one of them.
Sadly, Ring as a business is failing to understand they are in the security business and data security needs to be a top priority.
“As a result of multiple data security instances and allegations of weak data privacy standards, Ring has endured significant brand erosion, and these episodes continue to degrade their competitive advantage. In an industry where customers have many options to choose from, this could be a serious factor in the company’s future financial success.”
Santa, can I have a new gift?
Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/over-1-500-ring-passwords-193629561.html
Image Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-welcome-wall-decor-1652402/