Hacking was a constant story in 2016, and it’s still in the news in the new year. Regulators are taking a much closer look at shortcuts and back alleys into various networks. One of these stories that recently came to light affects millions of American consumers.
Did you know baby monitors could make it easier for black hat programmers to get into networks? Really, anything that connects to WiFi is vulnerable, but some connections are much more vulnerable than others. Among these more vulnerable connections, according to the Federal Trade Commission, are internet routers, cameras, and baby monitors manufactured by D-Link.
Speaking to CNN, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said, “If your router isn't secure, it exposes your entire home system… We're trying to convey to companies that security needs to be top of mind. They need to make sure they have reasonable security in place to protect personal information.”
There’s both an expectation of security and an information gap on this issue with the general public. Most people expect hacking attempts to target their bank accounts, credit cards, store systems, home computers, and more, so they do all they can – or all they know – to take precautions. But new parents have enough to worry about. Very few, if any, think about the danger posed to their financial accounts by their baby monitor.
Now that they do, they likely won’t be too happy to have been sold something that could make them vulnerable without adequate warning. But just how much of a danger could these items pose? Well, cyber security experts blame the major attack that took out a large part of the internet last October on this type of vulnerability.
D-Link is taking the brunt of the blame from regulators, who insist that the company must immediately address the “security failures” associated with its more popular products. Some of these vulnerabilities include hard-coded passwords set by the manufacturer that cannot be changed as well as other flaws that could offer hackers a “backdoor” into the devices.
These revelations may be slow to get out to the public, but you can bet that, once folks learn, the news will spread like wildfire on social media, with D-Link’s major target markets becoming increasingly unlikely to purchase its products … until they can be sure they’re safe.
\Phil Shawe is an entrepreneur in New York.
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