The WiFi router is the most crucial appliance in your house—a device you almost certainly never even touch or notice.
Your entire home network is connected to the internet by the router. A WiFi connection is required for your doorbells, gaming consoles, computers, smartphones, smart thermostat, garage door openers, and televisions to all function as intended. The bad guys could virtually and remotely access any connected device if the router were compromised. That includes any security cameras you might have installed all around your house.
There are numerous websites that stream live video from cameras all over the world. Most of them are public However, there are also some home security cameras that show backyards, front doors, swimming pools, and bedrooms. WiFi cameras from businesses, highways, and ports are also available. On the dark web, hackers have posted even more personal home security cameras. It’s easy to understand how this happened: neither the routers nor the cameras have strong usernames and passwords.
Well-known security camera manufacturers, such as Ring, ADT, Nest, Blink, Wyze, Eufy, etc. have lots of security to prevent this. Cameras from cheap foreign knockoffs do not, making them more susceptible to attack. However, unless you take some precautions, even high-end cameras are vulnerable to cyber snoopers.
When you purchase cameras, they come with login information and passwords. Someone who knows what they’re doing can actually find the login information and view your camera feeds if you don’t change them right out of the box.
Every router also has default usernames and passwords that users are required to change after installation. Many times the login credentials are simply “admin” and “password.” A quick internet search will yield those default logins. Armed with the login for both the router and the cameras, hackers who know what they’re doing can take control of everything in the home that’s connected to the internet through the WiFi router.
Although you might put off or even forget about protecting your router, doing so is crucial for your personal safety. Follow these steps to make sure your router is protected and up-to-date:
- Change your router’s login information as soon as you get it! Utilize a strong password that is difficult to decipher.
- Change your camera’s login information right after purchasing it, making sure to use a secure password.
- Plug the router back in after about 10 seconds of being unplugged every few months. For all of the devices connected to it, this will install any security updates and probably speed up operations.
Consumers were forewarned by the FBI earlier this year that hackers working for the People’s Republic of China were breaking into American homes. using malicious codes that were installed on routers when the homeowner clicked on a link in an email. There have also been reports of hackers speaking to people’s children through their cameras, according to one woman who claims a man broke into her Ring camera and spoke to her daughter, who is eight years old.
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Source: WPSD Local 6
