Science

Hacks of Ring security cameras are linked to podcast where hosts break into devices on-air


Ring and Nest security cameras are being targeted by hacking group who harass homeowners and broadcast the abuse on podcast – including chilling ‘I’m Santa Claus’ threat to eight-year-old girl

  • Some hacks on Ring and Nest cameras have been part of a ‘prank’ podcast
  • NulledCast uses automated tools to break into security cameras
  • Once breached they harass users on the other side and stream it to followers
  • Ring recommends using two-factor authentication to avoid being hacked 

A string of hacks on Ring and Nest security cameras are being linked back to a podcast that broadcasts the intrusions for laughs.

According to a report from Motherboard, a podcast dubbed NulledCast, has been involved in a number of hacks on the Amazon-owned Ring security cameras in which hackers commandeer the device’s microphone to harass victims on the other side.

Just this week, a mother from Mississippi released a video of the team behind NulledCast talking to her eight-year-old daughter through a Ring security camera in her bedroom.

The group is also linked to an incident in Florida, in which one of the hosts who calls himself ‘Chance,’ hacked into a device to blare loud noises and berate a family with racial slurs, Vice reports.

With the rise in availability and adoption of internet-connected home security cameras, various tools have emerged that allow hackers to easily exploit vulnerabilities, gain access to video and audio feeds, and in some cases, like those described above, control hardware that allows one to use them as a loudspeaker. 

Motherboard reports that those dedicated tools are able to scan through a list of compromised email addresses and passwords to easily break into the camera’s online dashboard. 

Users who have chosen not to set up two-factor authentication, which requires anyone logging in on a new device to enter a code sent to their mobile device or email, are particularly vulnerable to those tools.

Ring has recommended enabling two-factor authentication – an advisable security standard for any sensitive account – in addition to using strong passwords to begin with.

Since the NulledCast hack has received national media attention, creators of the podcast have attempted to cover their tracks by deleting references to the hack which had been described in a dedicated forum with thousands of members.

Ring cameras have been at the center of hacks in which bad actors hijack the device's loudspeaker and harass users on the other side (Stock photo)

Ring cameras have been at the center of hacks in which bad actors hijack the device’s loudspeaker and harass users on the other side (Stock photo)

Motherboard reports ongoing investigations into the incidents have caught the hackers’ attention, prompting the online purge.

‘Hey NulledCast fans, we need to calm down on the ring trolling, we have 3 investigations and two of us are already probably f****d,’ wrote one self-described Nulled Cast podcaster in a forum according to Motherboard. 

‘Drop suggestions on what else we should do. It will still happen just on a much smaller scale.’

Some members of the forum have been changing their usernames and leaving the group as a result of unwanted attention for their stunts, Motherboard reports.  

Though the hackers appear to be laying low on their incursions into security cameras, Motherboard reports that it’s unlikely the hackers will stop altogether.  

‘Podcast dead?’ asked one user on the Nulled forum according to Motherboard. 

‘Nope. Tune in Friday. Like and subscribe,’ replied another user.

 



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