As Internet security gets better year after year, hackers too find new ways to get access to different devices. Since the tech around us is not just limited to smartphones, it does open the floodgates for hackers to hack into almost anything connected to the Internet including Wi-Fi routers, watches, security cameras and more. That said, a report from San Jose Mercury News states that hackers recently got access to Google’s Nest home security camera.
According to the report, the camera was not just hacked but was later used to scare a US-based family that had the particular device installed in their home. It was reported that the family members started hearing a loud noise without any warning, something similar to what is heard before the start of an emergency broadcast alert, from the Nest camera.
Right after the loud audio, the family heard a message stating that three intercontinental ballistic missiles have been fired by North Korea and is heading towards Los Angeles, Chicago, and Ohio in the US. The alert added that the US is retaliating and that the residents in these three cities should evacuate within three hours, leaving the entire family panicking.

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This simple Nest camera hack, about which the family didn’t know, left them with “five minutes of sheer terror and another 30 minutes trying to figure out what was going on,” said one of the family members to the news website.

However, after cross-checking with the news channels, calling 911 and getting in touch with the Nest’s customer service, it was revealed that this was a third-party hack.

Nest spokesperson however, said to the Digital Trends website that the firm “was not breached”.

“These recent reports are based on customers using compromised passwords (exposed through breaches on other websites). In nearly all cases, two-factor verification eliminates this type of the security risk,” said the spokesperson. “We take security in the home extremely seriously, and we’re actively introducing features that will reject comprised passwords, allow customers to monitor access to their accounts and track external entities that abuse credentials.”

Source: gadgetsnow.com