Do you have a video doorbell? Some models can be hacked

Video doorbells allow you to see who is coming and going from your home, or check if a package you’ve been expecting gets dropped off.

Video doorbells allow you to see who is coming and going from your home, or check if a package you’ve been expecting gets dropped off.

It may seem hard to believe, as many use the hardware to promote security, but now some criminals are hacking into video doorbells, monitoring and video streaming victim’s routines.

An investigation conducted by Consumer Reports (CR) found that video from a video doorbell can be accessed from almost 5,000 kilometres away.

While outsiders are not supposed to be able to view the video, the security was so poor upon CR’s investigation that researchers were able to access it.

“We were really surprised to find that anyone could walk up to one of these doorbells and take it over in a matter of seconds, and from there actually view screenshots of the doorbell,” Consumer Reports’ Dan Wroclawski said.

Tests revealed that a number of video doorbells – all using the same mobile app, Aiwit – had serious security flaws, making users vulnerable to security breaches. 

The devices that use the Aiwit app CR tested are sold under the brand names Eken and Tuck, but are also sold under other brand names including Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Luckwolf and more.