In today’s world, technology has made the world a very convenient place. Just take a look around your house and you will see many appliances that made your life easier as compared to doing things manually.
The World Wide Web, phones, and smart devices are good examples. With convenience and connectivity comes a separate set of problems in hacking. We are all users of technology that we probably don’t understand until we are being hacked.
Horror Stories of Baby Monitors Being Hacked
You have probably heard of stories whereby parents complained about their baby monitors being hacked. Strangers had found ways to remotely access your camera and disturb your baby by speaking in to the speaker.
This is a huge breach in privacy and security. The thought that your child is not exactly safe in their own baby room is alarming to parents. Wifi baby monitors are especially vulnerable as its security is fully dependent on their Wifi network. If hackers managed to get past the router’s security, they can not only gain access to your Wifi baby monitor but also any other devices.
However, it is not just Wifi baby monitors. Virtually any baby monitors can be hacked, but certain types of baby monitors made it easier for hackers to access. So if you are really worried about your baby’s privacy and security, this might be one of the factors to consider before buying a baby monitor.
Types of Baby Monitors
There are 2 types of baby monitors: Radio and Wifi.
Radio baby monitors transmit data through short to medium range frequencies. For a hacker to gain access, they have to be of proximity and within range to figure out which frequencies to hack. The radio baby monitors that we recommend use encrypted frequencies, which on top of proximity, adds another level of challenge to hackers.
It is pretty safe to say that modern radio baby monitors are unlikely targets to be hacked.
Then, Wifi baby monitors transmit data through your local network, which is connected to the Internet. This opens up your home network as a hacking target to potentially anyone. Smart devices that uses the Internet of Things(IoT) to stream video feed are being exposed to even more potential security breaches.
Wifi baby monitors can be connected via a private network or the Internet.
Wifi Baby Monitors Connected Via Private Network
If you are using your private network to access the audio and video feeds of your baby monitor, a hacker would need to bypass your home router first. After that first step, hackers will try to gain access to all devices that are connected to that network, including your baby monitor.
Nowadays, modern routers use Network Address Translation (NAT) to filter out unauthorized visitors from accessing. With just the default setting, you are relatively safe. Just make sure not to select other settings like port forwarding or to create a demilitarized zone.
Also, do check and disable remote access to your router if you have messed with the configuration in the past. You might need to find the dusty router manual (or online versions) in order to tweak these settings.
And, do make sure that you create a strong password for your Wifi network, and try to change these passwords every 1 year to make it really difficult for hackers to access.
Wifi Baby Monitors Connected via the Internet
Nowadays Wifi baby monitors allow you to stream your camera’s audio and video through the Internet so that you can remotely access the camera when you are not at home. This opens up to being hacked by anyone over the Internet.
They will try to gain access through hacking your password or hacking the manufacturer’s security system directly. If you really like the remote Internet access that Wifi baby monitors give you, do choose manufacturers that have made security precautions.
Or, if you are really worried about privacy and security, you can use either radio baby monitors or Wifi baby monitors that are only connected via your private network.
Why would Hackers do what they do?
When it comes to hacking home networks and gaining access to other people’s privacy, there are 3 types of hackers.
Pranking types: These people just want to see what they do and disturb other people by showing that they can place around with the camera angles by moving them and to use the talkback functions to disturb your baby in the middle of the night.
Voyeur types: These people want to look into other people’s lives and see what they are doing behind the scenes.
Criminal types: These hackers are there to see if you are at home or try to steal your personal information through what was heard over the microphone in your baby monitor.
Conclusion
Try to secure your baby monitors like how you would secure your smartphones and computers. Wi-fi baby monitors are just as accessible as your smartphones and computers that are connected via the Wifi. As long as you are not using the Internet of Things (IoT) to transmit data via the Internet, you are relatively safe from hacking if you took the precautions.
Here is a quick checklist for securing the different options.
1. Your wireless router at home
a. Update router’s firmware
b. Disable remote access
c. Use a strong password
d. Change password every 1 year or so
2. Your baby monitor
a. Get software updates and their latest security fixes from manufacturers
b. Setup new passwords and remove default login details
c. Disable Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS)
d. Disable port forwarding or UPnP
e. Disable remote access
3. You require remote access regardless
a. Change the default camera access port. Change it to anything above 8200.
b. Regularly check your monitor’s log for foreign IP activity or any other suspicious activities
Implementing these items on the checklist will greatly reduce your risk of being hacked.