Baby Monitor Hacked

[ionbasa]

A Houston couple on Tuesday revealed to ABC News that earlier this month, the baby monitor they use for their daughter was hacked. Upon taking control over the monitor, the hacker shouted obscenities at their sleeping two-year-old daughter. Before the parents could unplug the monitor, the hacker also shouted at them.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57598499-83/attention-parents-baby-monitor-hacked-default-password-to-blame/

 

More from ABC:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/08/baby-monitor-hacking-alarms-houston-parents/

 

Just goes to show why you should secure your WiFi and and not use default passwords. I don't blame the parent though, I think device manufacturers should make it more apparent to consumers that they need to change the default password on any device.

[TechTheWorld]

O the stupidity.

[Exo]

lol, what?

[Godlygamer23]

Even if consumers realize they need to change the default username/password...How many would?

[helping]

That's awfully mean spirited. I don't really hold it against the manufacturers though. It should be their own responsibility to know that they need WiFi security.

 

I don't understand why they needed to report that to ABC or why ABC even needed to publish useless things like this. It's entirely their fault.

[ionbasa]

Even if consumers realize they need to change the default username/password...How many would?

Device manufacturers could make it part of the setup process in such a way that the device won't function without changing the default password.

[ionbasa]

That's awfully mean spirited. I don't really hold it against the manufacturers though. It should be their own responsibility to know that they need WiFi security.

It seems that the WiFi was probably secured, but the CNET article points out that the password on the baby monitor was possibly not changed from the default.

[helping]

It seems that the WiFi was probably secured, but the CNET article points out that the password on the baby monitor was possibly not changed from the default.

Ah, something like that is more understandable, my mistake. I didn't even know those had passwords, so they probably should emphasize that.

[DyGr00339]

We used to use walke takes at my camp when it was me as a kid (incase of emergency), one night some teenage girls were using our channel (everyone around knew we used it at night) and were screaming ans swearing into it, so my father responded "Canadian Military private frequency", we never heard them again

[neon]

It would be good if manufacturers could use non default passwords like 'password' and 'admin' it might take another step to implement a good password like ehsf37rhr3%d$re and print it on a piece of paper and stick it to the product, or during initial setup force the end user to create a password, but how many non-techy consumers would choose a password like 'password' or take the given 'good' password and change it to something terrible.

 

They should teach good IT and security practices in school, I can't imagine how many world IT problems would be solved if people were taught about good strong passwords, how to reinstall and setup an OS, keep a computer virus free, updating devices firmware and the importance of backing up.

[Ghost]

We used to use walke takes at my camp when it was me as a kid (incase of emergency), one night some teenage girls were using our channel (everyone around knew we used it at night) and were screaming ans swearing into it, so my father responded "Canadian Military private frequency", we never heard them again

You can encrypt most 2-way radio signals at the device, provided they are made by the same manufacturer.

 

You just sound like loud static to anyone on the same channel. Its annoying enough that they tend to switch channel. This encryption is probably easy to decrypt if anyone wanted to but you cant do it with standard equipment.

[ionbasa]

You can encrypt most 2-way radio signals at the device, provided they are made by the same manufacturer.

 

You just sound like loud static to anyone on the same channel. Its annoying enough that they tend to switch channel. This encryption is probably easy to decrypt if anyone wanted to but you cant do it with standard equipment.

Just a side note, I have a amateur radio licence (HAM Radio) and in general we are never supposed to encrypt communications (during peace time (from my understanding)), but there are some people that send computer data over radio using encryption. I never got into it that much, I only use it for voice communications and as a side hobby.

[1funnygame]

It would be good if manufacturers could use non default passwords like 'password' and 'admin' it might take another step to implement a good password like ehsf37rhr3%d$re and print it on a piece of paper and stick it to the product, or during initial setup force the end user to create a password, but how many non-techy consumers would choose a password like 'password' or take the given 'good' password and change it to something terrible.

They should teach good IT and security practices in school, I can't imagine how many world IT problems would be solved if people were taught about good strong passwords, how to reinstall and setup an OS, keep a computer virus free, updating devices firmware and the importance of backing up.

but then they will have to take away from the defence budget! Heaven forbid they actually get a good education! Then the terrorists will blow up the high tech American military with much more ease Now!</sarcasm>

[GhettoUnboxings]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423110,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ziffdavis%2Fpcmag%2Fbreakingnews+%28PCMag.com+Breaking+News%29

 

 

 

Hide your kids, hide your wife — or at least the baby monitor. That's the lesson one Houston couple learned the hard way, when their baby monitor was hacked and used to verbally harass their 2-year-old daughter.

 

 

[Excon]

This has been posted already

[Frix]

Already posted

[delet my acc pls]

Dafuq is working With people?

[91Chris]

This is awesome! How? :P

[JORDANonPC]

I thought this was already posted but it got removed didn't it, all I saw was people saying he should die and be hit by a bus and paralysed when realistically he just needs to do some growing up (not saying he doesn't deserve some punishment though) 

[Lord Pantaloons]

read about this earlier, messed up stuff.

[mgsstar]

This is very creepy and guess that their ISP should fix their security after this incident. 

[neon]

This is very creepy and guess that their ISP should fix their security after this incident. 

 

Nothing to do with the ISP, the people left the IP camera which they bought with the default password, and it is extremely common for the 'average consumer' to make such a rookie mistake, which can have a pretty devastating effect in the long run.

[The Syndicate]

"default password to blame"

Are they serious?

Everyone knows you should always change the default  password.

[ionbasa]

Already posted

 

I did search for it before posting and nothing came up.

I thought this was already posted but it got removed didn't it, all I saw was people saying he should die and be hit by a bus and paralysed when realistically he just needs to do some growing up (not saying he doesn't deserve some punishment though) 

 

I am glad to see that people in this thread are responding more maturely than the other one that got taken down, it is a shamed when a news article regarding Computer / Network security gets taken down due to others foolish behavior.

 

"default password to blame"

Are they serious?

Everyone knows you should always change the default  password.

 

You would think that. I have a friend who is still in high school, I went over to setup their new router to work with Verizon Fios. When I let his parents know that the WiFi AP should be password protected they highly disagreed and wanted it to be left open, (this makes it worse because one of them is a programmer IRL). They claimed it would be to much of a hassle.

 

So I guess people will have to learn eventually, in the case with the baby monitor, I hope it acts as a wake up call for people who are ignorant, saying "I don't need any security, who would want to harm me?"

[GhettoUnboxings]

I did search for it before posting and nothing came up.

 

 

That had to do with me posting the same story after your topic got taken down.

Since it was down I couldn't find a post about it so I posted it.

People just thought I was reposting (wich I kinda was, but also not)