"5 minutes of sheer terror": Hackers infiltrate East Bay family's Nest surveillance camera, send

[TexasTowelie]

“5 minutes of sheer terror”: Hackers infiltrate East Bay family’s Nest surveillance camera, send warning of incoming North Korea missile attack


ORINDA — Laura Lyons was preparing food in her kitchen Sunday when the lazy afternoon took a turn for the absurd. A loud squawking — similar to the beginning of an emergency broadcast alert — blasted from the living room, the Orinda mother said, followed by a detailed warning of three North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles headed to Los Angeles, Chicago and Ohio.

“It warned that the United States had retaliated against Pyongyang and that people in the affected areas had three hours to evacuate,” Lyons said Monday. “It sounded completely legit, and it was loud and got our attention right off the bat. … It was five minutes of sheer terror and another 30 minutes trying to figure out what was going on.”

Lyons and her husband stood slack-jawed in the living room, terrified but also confused because the television continued airing the NFC Championship football game. As their scared 8-year-old son crawled underneath the rug, the couple realized the apocalyptic warning came from their Nest security camera atop their living room television.

After many panicked minutes and phone calls to 911 and to Nest, the couple learned they likely were the victims of a hacker. And that panic turned to anger when they found out that Nest knew that there had been a number of such incidents — none involving nuclear strike scenarios — but failed to alert customers. Lyons said a Nest supervisor told them Sunday they likely were the victims of a “third party hack” that gained access to their camera and its speakers. The company did not return a request for comment Monday.

Read more: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/01/21/it-was-five-minutes-of-sheer-terror-hackers-infiltrate-east-bay-familys-nest-surveillance-camera-send-warning-of-incoming-north-korea-missile-attack/

[FirstLight]

1. ok...I'm old...WTH is a NEST ????

seriously, makes me think of the eagle babies in WA or something????

[CloudWatcher]

3. Internet connected smart thermostats etc.

See https://nest.com/thermostats/

[TexasTowelie]

4. I don't know much about them,

but I think it's similar to a baby cam which may be accessed online. It can be used by homeowners to monitor their household while they are away at work or on vacation. It may also record the camera footage so it can be used as evidence.

[Renew Deal]

2. NK pranks are the least of their problems

They probably were/are being recorded 24/7.

[TexasTowelie]

5. You're correct,

I hope that they don't go running around the house naked.

[LuckyLib]

6. People should remove that junk from their homes ASAP.

We're already on the receiving end of surveillance through Google and (if you are on it) Facebook. Folks need to get back to living.

[2naSalit]

7. +1

[Nay]

8. Agreed. Anyone who installs this sort of stuff is just asking for trouble. nt

[Merlot]

9. Big difference between an internet thermostat and a security camera.

Having a security camera inside your house gaurentees that at any time a stranger can watch and listen to you.