Man claims hacker talked to him through his Nest security camera

guest · Dec 7, 2018

Man claims hacker talked to him through his Nest security camera
December 6, 2018
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/nest-security-camera-hacked-security-flaw/

That was the experience Phoenix resident Andy Gregg had earlier this year, according to the Arizona Republic.
[...] and was surprised to discover that the voice was coming from his Nest IQ Cam security camera that was sitting in the front window of his home. The person on the other end informed Gregg that he was a hacker associated with the group Anonymous.

The hacker told Gregg that he was contacting him to inform him some of his private information had been compromised.
“You basically feel very vulnerable,” Gregg told the Arizona Republic. “It feels like you’ve been robbed essentially and somebody’s in your house. They know when you’re there. They know when you’re leaving.”

In a statement to the Arizona Republic, Nest parent company Google said that it is aware that passwords exposed in other breaches may be used to access its cameras. [...] Nest devices do not come with default logins that can easily be manipulated to hijack the cameras.
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Floyd 57 · Dec 7, 2018

*500 years ago*
"God talked to me in my sleep!!!"

*2018*
"Mysterious hacker spoke through my camera!"

zapjb · Dec 7, 2018

Bring back the Luddites!

Palancar · Dec 7, 2018

mood said: ↑

Man claims hacker talked to him through his Nest security camera
December 6, 2018
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/nest-security-camera-hacked-security-flaw/
Click to expand...

It appears to me that this is another case of folks using the exact same password in multiple places. Not stated exactly just how it reads. Another call for a good password manager instead of more stupid!

Minimalist · Jan 23, 2019

Nest Security Camera Gives Terrifying False Alarm To Orinda Family

An East Bay family is issuing a warning to other Nest camera owners after someone hacked into their surveillance system in what they describe as sheer moments of terror.

“Tremendous amount of anxiety and more importantly our poor 8-year-old, you know, scared to death,” Orinda resident Laura Lyons said in an interview with the East Bay Times.

Lyons told the newspaper she believed her and her family had only minutes to escape after a warning rang throughout her home that the United States was under attack.
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https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2...era-false-alarm-orinda-family-nuclear-attack/

mirimir · Jan 23, 2019

I suspect that "hacked into" means "didn't change default password".

And maybe I'm evil, but it is pretty funny

Minimalist · Jan 23, 2019

mirimir said: ↑

I suspect that "hacked into" means "didn't change default password".

And maybe I'm evil, but it is pretty funny
Click to expand...

Yes, I suspect something similar. Although Google claims that someone broke in their account and not camera itself.
Default passwords should not be used on those things anyway. Vendor should force users to change them and their equipment shouldn't be allowed to access internet until password is changed.

guest · Feb 1, 2019

Nest Hack Leaves Homeowner Sleepless in Chicago
February 1, 2019
https://www.darkreading.com/attacks...homeowner-sleepless-in-chicago/d/d-id/1333779

A deep voice in a baby's room and a thermostat set to a tropical temperature were the first signs a Chicago-area homeowner had that there were problems with the home's IoT devices. When the voice followed the family into the living room, "… my blood truthfully ran cold…" the man reported.

The family's two Nest thermostats and 16 Nest cameras had been hacked by unknown threat actors. According to Google, the breach occurred because of duplicated passwords stolen from other online sites. The homeowner told a local television station that the family wasn't aware that two-factor authentication was a possibility for a Nest account.

For more, read here.
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mirimir · Feb 2, 2019

OK, so he reused a password. That's almost as clueless.

guest · Feb 2, 2019

"In nearly all cases, two-factor verification eliminates this type of security risk"
February 2, 2019
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/02/tech/nest-cam-bug/index.html

A Google spokesperson said recent reports like that are based on customers using compromised passwords that are exposed through breaches on other websites.
"In nearly all cases, two-factor verification eliminates this type of security risk," the spokesperson said.

But the lack of clear messaging around these issues is only fueling consumer concern, experts say.
"It's a market where security hasn't been a leading priority, and that increasingly needs to shift," he said.

Google said it is actively introducing "features that will reject compromised passwords, allow customers to monitor access to their accounts and track external entities that abuse credentials."
Click to expand...

Minimalist · Feb 6, 2019

Google Warns Nest Users to Update Security Settings After Uptick of Hacked Cameras

Owners of Nest security cameras received an email from parent company Google on Wednesday, warning them to secure their login credentials with things like 2-factor identification and stronger passwords.
Click to expand...

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/a26214078/google-nest-hack-warning/

Minimalist · Feb 15, 2019

Nest resetting compromised passwords instead of just recommending users do so

Following stories of Nest devices getting “hacked” due to bad password management, Google reiterated that there was no actual breach of the company’s smart home devices and encouraged users to enable 2FA. The Google owned-company is now resetting passwords on accounts that it believes are compromised.
Click to expand...

https://9to5google.com/2019/02/15/nest-resetting-compromised-passwords/

guest · Jun 20, 2019

Pre-owned Nest Cams have a bug that let previous owners spy on you
June 20, 2019
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3077687/pre-owned-nest-cams-spying-bug

Update: ...and it's fixed. A Google spokesperson said: "We were recently made aware of an issue affecting some Nest cameras connected to third-party partner services via Works with Nest. We've since rolled out a fix for this issue that will update automatically, so if you own a Nest camera, there's no need to take any action."
Click to expand...

If you're interested in buying a Nest Cam to keep an eye on your home when you're not around, you probably don't want to buy a pre-owned model. If you do, it might not just be you who's looking.
Wirecutter reports that a doozy of a security bug will let the camera's old owner continue to see through the lens, even after a factory reset. The site was able to recreate the bug using its own hardware, too.

That's not quite as bad as it sounds, though still pretty dreadful. Firstly, the vulnerability only affects cameras that have been previously hooked up to a Wink hub.
Still, it prompts a pretty serious question: how can a factory reset device still connect to anything from its previous life?
A Google spokesperson says a fix is on the way, but couldn't say when. "We're actively investigating it and working on a fix," the spokesperson said.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 15, 2019

Google Nest camera users can no longer disable the status light
Nest Hello doorbells and Dropcams will also be affected
August 15, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/15/google-disables-nest-camera-status-light/

Google has notified existing Nest camera, Nest Hello doorbell and Dropcam owners that they can no longer disable their devices' status light. The company told customers the update in an email, according to 9toGoogle, which also found Google Support discussions on the topic by displeased customers.
It was previously possible to switch off those security devices' status lights to prevent them from being spotted in a dark room, keeping them hidden from, say, home invaders.

However, as the publication notes, Google previously promised a "clear visual indicator when... Nest cameras are on and sending video and audio to Nest" as part of its commitment to privacy.
The update could help prevent unscrupulous individuals from using Nest products to secretly film guests, for instance, or for any other underhanded purpose.
The letter reads (courtesy of Android Central): [...]

Owners using the devices for legitimate security purposes are understandably upset, especially since the changes will be applied retroactively.
Click to expand...

mirimir · Aug 15, 2019

Ummm, tape

guest · Sep 23, 2019

Hackers targeted smart home then jacked up is heating and played rude songs
September 23, 2019
https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/23/hack...me-jacked-heating-played-rude-songs-10793584/

Samantha, of Milwaukee in Wisconsin, put the heat down to a technical glitch – and turned it back down, only for a voice to come from the Nest camera, shortly before it began to play rude songs.
Samantha realized what had happened after the heat began to increase again, accompanied by an eerie voice and music blaring from the camera.

They believe the hackers targeted their WiFi first, and were then able to hack into the $700 Nest system form there.
Lamont said: ‘If someone hacks into your WiFi, they shouldn’t be able to have access to those Nest devices without some sort of wall they have to get over.
‘Maybe there’s some steps we should take. I think Nest should be tightening security.’
Click to expand...

guest · Oct 19, 2019

The voice from our Nest camera threatened to steal our baby
October 18, 2019
https://www.siliconvalley.com/2019/...our-nest-camera-threatened-to-steal-our-baby/

It was an unremarkable Wednesday afternoon when our nanny texted my wife and me asking if we were speaking through one of the Nest cameras in our house. We both replied that we were not.
Then the nanny texted that a voice was coming through the kitchen camera and using bad words.

After about five minutes of verbal “joy riding,” the voice starts to get agitated at the nanny’s lack of response and then snaps, in a very threatening voice: “I’m coming for the baby if you don’t answer me, [...]!”
My jaw drops.
We unplug the cameras and change all passwords. The nanny has taken our son to the park down the street in an effort to escape. However, the damage has been done.

Essentially, an email and a password are compromised somewhere across the internet. They join millions of other email addresses and passwords, which are then cross-referenced with other websites, including Nest.
What is worse is that anyone could have been watching us at any time for as long as we have had the cameras up. This person just happened to use the microphone. Countless voyeurs could have been silently watching (or worse) for months.
Click to expand...

Their party line is to remind people that the hardware was not hacked; it was the user’s fault for using a compromised password and not implementing two-step authentication, in which users receive a special code via text to sign on.
In every email, they remind me of two-step authentication. They act as if I am going to continue to use Nest cameras.
Click to expand...

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