Hacker Takes Over ‘Smart Home’ by Hacking into Google Nest System
Sep. 24, 2019In a bone-chilling incident, a couple in the US was left stunned when a hacker broke into their connected home and started talking to them via camera, played vulgar music on the video system in the living room and even turned thermostat to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (over 32 degrees Celsius).
According to Fox6 News, the incident happened with a Milwaukee (Wisconsin)-based couple who felt anything but safe after a hacker took over their smart home. Samantha and Lamont Westmoreland realized something was seriously wrong when they began to hear a voice via a camera in the kitchen.“My heart was racing. I felt so violated at that point”, Samantha was quoted as saying.
Changing their passwords did not help. The couple later spoke to their Internet service provider and got their network ID changed. The Westmoreland had spent $700 for the Google Nest system at home. The Google Nest system generally offers thermostat, cameras, doorbell, alarm system, lock and smoke + CO alarm.“It gives me the chills just talking about it”, said Samantha.
The Milwaukee couple are not alone. In January, a hacker took over an Illinois-based Indian-American couple’s Nest cameras and began talking to their toddler.“I was shocked to hear a deep, manly voice talking. My blood ran cold”, Arjun Sud told WBBM-TV. The hacker also hurled obscenities at Sud and his wife. Sud disconnected the cameras and contacted Nest which told him to use two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security. A California-based family also had a chilling experience when someone used their Nest camera’s speaker to warn of an impending missile strike from North Korea.
