Is Your Home Security System Safe?
Tech Talker explains how to secure your home surveillance system. Plus – is it possible to hack your security system via the baby monitor?
I got an email from Tech Talker listener Travis. He was concerned after hearing a news story in which a hacker accessed a home’s security camera that was acting as a baby monitor. Travis wants to get a baby monitor for his child, but is unsure on how to secure it so that this doesn’t happen to him.
In this week’s episode I’ll be explaining how to harden your network to make it more secure against invasion.
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I feel that the best way to make yourself the most secure is to understand how a hacker could gain access to any given device. This doesn’t just pertain to cameras, but to everything tech. The more you understand how certain hacks are done, the better prepared you will be to prevent the attack from happening to you.
How to Hack a Baby Monitor
Let’s look at exactly how this attack was carried out.
The parent in this situation was using a security camera as a baby monitor. Now, there’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s often a better and less expensive option because not only will it pick up audio and video, but after a child grows up you can simply repurpose the camera for use in your home!
This camera was attached to the parent’s home network, which runs through the WiFi router that is connected to the internet. This connection to the internet allows the world access to your router. A wireless router and the fact that the camera was connected to the internet are red flags in terms of security.
It turned out that the parents in this situation did not have a password protected Wifi. This means that anyone trying to connect to their internet connection could do so without needing any password or permission. So if you were living fairly close to the house or were parked just outside, you could theoretically connect to their network and see all the other devices connected to the router. After browsing the devices on the connected router, the hacker may have decided to view the camera, which happened to be used as a baby monitor.
The other option a hacker could have used to get in would be if he were able to obtain the IP address of the router over the internet and find a security hole in it. This would be a much more difficult hack but it’s still in the realm of possibility.
So now that we know how this was done, let’s look at how you could protect yourself against it.
How to Protect Yourself Against Hackers
First things first – you must password protect your WiFi. If you have your wireless internet open, you’re leaving your electronic front door unlocked!
With so many devices being connected to WiFi these days, a hacker on your network could mess with anything connected to it, whether it be your network, computers, TVs, phones, or tablets. Anything attached to an unsecured connection could be a target. I’ve already done an episode on what type of WiFi security is best and how to set it up. Check it out now!
To summarise it quickly, you’ll want a WPA2 passphrase. This is the highest strength type of WiFi password encryption. If you were to use something like WEP, a hacker could break the code in minutes!
Next, you’ll also want to change your router’s default password. This password is different than your WiFi password and it lets you into the settings of your router. Generally, most routers come with a default username and password such as admin/password, admin/1234 or admin/admin. Changing this password will greatly increase your security and only takes minutes to do. I would ordinarily explain how to do this, but unfortunately there are a ton of different routers on the market. The easiest thing to do would be to consult your manual, or the wisdom of Google, by simply typing “Change default password on [insert your router here]” and I’m sure you’ll find what your looking for.
I’ve tried out a few security cameras for my home and this is the one I’ve picked. With that, here are your 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for securing your cameras, devices, and wireless electronics!
- Be sure to create a strong wireless password that uses WPA2.
- Change your router’s default password.
- If you want to be ultra secure, keep your security camera disconnected from your router.
Have a question about anything in this episode? Or a suggestion for a future podcast? Send me an email at techtalker@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email or post it on the Tech Talker Facebook wall.
Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!
About the Author
Tech Talker demystifies technology and cutting edge devices so that even the most tech illiterate can understand what’s going on with their computer or gadget — and what to do when something goes wrong.
