Hacker scares Ohio family after taking control of baby monitor camera

Ayo, technology

Screaming Hacker Scares Family After Taking Control Of Baby Monitor

Via NYDailyNews

An Ohio couple was terrified when a hacker took over a 10-month-old baby’s video monitor and started screaming ‘Wake up baby!’ in the middle of the night.

Adam and Heather Schreck were stunned, but Adam quickly rushed into their frightened daughter’s room — only to see the camera pointed at them and the “intruder” screaming obscenities.

The Cincinnati couple felt “violated” and helpless because they couldn’t figure out who was doing this — and didn’t know if they had done it before.

“I heard a voice again start screaming at my daughter, ‘Wake up baby! Wake up baby!’ I was just absolutely shocked to see somebody could get into my house so easily,” Heather told Fox 19.

It was midnight when the pair heard the male voice. Heather’s first reaction was to check her cellphone, which connects to the wireless monitor watching over baby Emma.

She was further alarmed when she saw the Foscam camera move independently, as it was only supposed to track the infant or any movement in the room.

IT experts say that while hackers commonly target webcams in computers, any Internet-connected device is a cyber-loophole for determined intruders to gain access.

Apparently, this is a pretty regular thing that nerd hackers do.

“It’s not just that they want to get in and mess with your camera,” Infinity Partners solutions expert Dave Hatter explained. “Sophisticated hackers know they can use this as a launching-off point to get into your network and potentially steal your ID or launch malicious attacks.”

His advice is to change Wi-Fi and camera passwords, ensuring they are both different and checking websites for your technical equipment for updates, as they may not appear on devices. The Foscam camera owned by the Schrecks has a known vulnerability and manufacturers had released an update, which the Schrecks were unaware of.

The dad sounds like a pansy. Protect ya cam, folks.

Image via Shutterstock