In the wake of multiple hacking incidents, Ring is recommending users change their passwords, while at the same time reassuring users the company has not been compromised.
In recent days, there have been multiple reports of Ring devices being hacked, with some terrifying results. In one case, a Ring device in an 8-year-old girl’s room was hacked. A man’s voice can be heard talking to the girl, claiming to be her friend. There have been similar incidents in Georgia, Florida and Texas.
Following the reports, Ring investigated the incidents and found no evidence of unauthorized intrusions into their network or systems. According to the company, “malicious actors obtained some Ring users’ account credentials (e.g., username and password) from a separate, external, non-Ring service and reused them to log into some Ring accounts. Unfortunately, when people reuse the same username and password on multiple services, it’s possible for bad actors to gain access to many accounts.”
The company goes on to recommend some common sense suggestions, including activating two-factor authentication; using strong passwords consisting of upper and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols; adding shared users rather than sharing credentials; regularly updating passwords and not using the same passwords for multiple services and apps.
This latest issue is another example of how an increasingly interconnected world requires individuals to learn and practice cybersecurity best practices in order to keep themselves and their families safe.