Hackers with nothing better to do
On the Dark Web, there's a live webcast show called "NulledCast" that few people have ever heard of. It's pretty popular in Dark Web circles, though.
The premise of the show is this: The hosts will hack the cameras in home security systems and mess with the owners. Ring and Nest are the two most popular targets.
Recently, Ring has been getting the most attention, which has resulted in some of the NulledCast antics bubbling up from the Dark Web and being mentioned in mainstream news media.
Taking advantage of our own laziness
The hackers are using recycled/reused passwords to get access to the devices. The attacks range from annoying to creepy and disturbing. In one case, the hackers took control of cameras at an animal shelter and using the shelter's speakers, sent a message to a staffer there bragging about how they had just killed a kitten.
In another recent example, they took control of a Ring device used by a minority family and shouted racial slurs at them. In still another, the hackers talked to and taunted a young boy while he was playing video games in his room.
Yet another family was taunted by ghostly voices that suddenly started coming from their features, with the hackers laughing that they could still see the family, even as they began powering the cameras down. Finally, another recent example included a creepy conversation with an eight-year-old girl that was instructing her to mess up her room and break her television set.
Our perspective
The people who are on the receiving end of these attacks have a range of reactions from being slightly unnerved to outright terrified, and unfortunately, there's no end in sight. Smart devices like most of the home security systems sold today and a raft of other appliances have notoriously poor security if they have any at all, which is why shows like NulledCast are so easy to produce. If you use a Ring Device, be aware that someone may be watching.
~ As Hill Street Blues' Sgt. Esterhaus always advised: "Hey, let's be careful out there! " ~
Meanwhile, check out this report
This free executive report may give you insights into how to build your business with safe IT environments: 10 Hidden IT Risks That Might Threaten Your Business and 1 Easy Way to Find Them
The author
Thanks for reading this short post. For more tips on thriving with small business technology, check out the other blog posts at DWPia Blogs. I am also available on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
I am Denis Wilson, President and Principal Consultant for DWP Information Architects. I help professionals grow their business by building a foundation of rock-solid information solutions for smaller healthcare, insurance, financial, legal, and nonprofits firms in Ventura County and San Fernando Valley. And have created cost-effective IT solutions, for over 20 years, specializing in cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. I am also a published author and speaker, working extensively with a variety of organizations, as well as providing small business technology education programs through business and professional associations. This just in: I will be speaking regularly at California Lutheran University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership starting in September.
Contact me if you would like me to speak at your association.
