Owners of Ring Cameras are promised a secure home by purchasing the item. However, recent reports of hacked cameras leave Ring users troubled. Whether or not the cameras make homes more secure is a controversial topic. 

On December 4, Ashley LeMay posted a short clip from her security camera footage. Her daughter is seen walking into her room and panicking after hearing a man talking to her out of the family’s Ring Camera’s microphone. The video quickly went viral and was shared by many concerned parents. 

Soon after the video went viral, more people came forward with similar incidents they had experienced. Many urged Ring to investigate the problem. Days later, Ring released a statement regarding LeMay’s video. Ring explained, “Recently, we were made aware of an incident where malicious actors obtained some Ring users’ account credentials (e.g., user name and password) from a separate, external, non-Ring service and reused them to log in to some Ring accounts.” 

The response was upsetting to some. There were complaints of the statement being too short and too blunt. But the biggest concern was over the lack of responsibility Ring had taken. They concluded that cameras were hacked due to users failing to have different passwords on other accounts. 

Consumer Reports states that Ring urges more than 3,000 users to change their passwords and use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is an authentication method in which a user is granted access after presenting two or more pieces of evidence. Ring believes that using this method will prevent hackers from taking control of accounts. 

Tech Radar released a study they conducted on the cameras. They found over 1,500 Ring passwords leaked on the dark web. Amazon, the company that owns Ring, failed to take responsibility and action over the leaked passwords. A class action filed which claims that Amazon needs to compensate existing Ring owners who have had their system hacked. It also calls for Amazon to ensure overall security is improved. 

After the initial shock that viral videos created, putting a stop to cameras being compromised became a priority. Business Insider suggests to frequently delete old footage on Ring cameras to prevent hackers from obtaining more information.  

Cnet reports that creators are working on a new app that can alert people when there is a risk of their cameras being breached. They believe that the app will relieve concerned homeowners and parents. The popular media website suggests that Ring owners update camera firmware frequently. Camera firmware is the operating system that allows one to control the features and functions within the camera’s menus and buttons. 

By making the precautious changes, people feel safe to continue using Ring. However, some refuse to use their Ring devices and are waiting on Amazon to release a new and improved version of the camera.