Researchers have issued a warning to parents who use web-based baby-monitoring systems, stating that many of the most popular web-based cameras lack basic security.
US company Rapid7 carried out research following a spate of alarming baby-monitor hacking incidents, and the published results carry a stark warning.
The report shows that, due to a lack of basic security on the equipment, not only can hackers watch your baby through your camera, but they could also use this to launch an attack on other home devices.
The focus of this research is on web-enabled devices, whereby cameras are set up to capture footage and stream it to a website or an app on your phone, tablet or computer.
Researchers found that many such devices carry hidden, unchangeable passwords that are listed in the instructions manual, while some companies don't encrypt their data streams, leaving them open to hacking.
“There’s a certain leap of faith you’re taking with your child when you use one of these,” said senior security consultant at Rapid7, Mark Stanislav.
This study proves that we, as parents, need to be very careful and do our research when it comes to investing in a web-based baby-monitoring system.
