These Video Doorbells Have Terrible Security. Amazon Sells Them Anyway.The devices are also sold by Walmart, Sears, and other retailers—and big platforms have faced few consequences for shipping flawed products
On a recent Thursday afternoon, a Consumer Reports journalist received an email containing a grainy image of herself waving at a doorbell camera she’d set up at her back door.
If the message came from a complete stranger, it would have been alarming. Instead, it was sent by Steve Blair, a CR privacy and security test engineer who had hacked into the doorbell from 2,923 miles away.
Blair had pulled similar images from connected doorbells at other CR employees’ homes and from a device in our Yonkers, N.Y., testing lab. While we expected him to gain access to these devices, it was still a bit shocking to see photos of the journalist’s deck and backyard. After all, video doorbells are supposed to help you keep an eye on strangers at the door, not let other people watch you.
What does Consumer Reports suggest if you have one of these flawed systems?
If you own one of these doorbells, Consumer Reports recommends that you disconnect it from your home WiFi and remove it from your door.
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