I have no idea how frequently this happens. I have never owned anything like this. I am sure it is a comfort to parents. However if you are thinking of buying it for someone, I would do a bit of research first
'I'm coming for the baby': California father describes terror as Nest camera is hijacked by woman threatening to steal his 18-month-old son
- Jack Newcombe said he and his wife were at work while their nanny was at home with their 18-month-old son when a female voice came over the Nest camera
- 'She says we have a nice house and encourages the nanny to respond. The voice even jokes that she hopes we don't change our password,' he wrote
- He said the voice got agitated at the nanny's lack of response and said: 'I'm coming for the baby if you don't answer me, bi**h!'
- Newcombe has unplugged the system and said Google, which owns Nest, was unhelpful at resolving the issue
A California father has described the terrifying moment a woman hacked his Nest camera and threatened to steal his baby.
Jack Newcombe wrote of the experience in the The Mercury News, saying his 18-month-old son was home with the nanny while he and his wife were at work when a voice came over the security camera system.
'The voice is laughing when it chimes in. She says we have a nice house and encourages the nanny to respond. She does not. The voice even jokes that she hopes we don't change our password. I am sick to my stomach,' Newcombe writes.
He said the frightened nanny refused to answer, which angered the female hacker. 'The voice starts to get agitated at the nanny's lack of response and then snaps, in a very threatening voice: ''I'm coming for the baby if you don't answer me, bi**h!''' he wrote.
Jack Newcombe wrote of the terrifying experience in the The Mercury News. He said he and his wife were at work and their nanny was at home with their 18-month-old son when a female voice came over the Nest camera
'She says we have a nice house and encourages the nanny to respond. The voice even jokes that she hopes we don't change our password,' he wrote
Newcombe said he initially grew worried when the nanny texted him and his wife asking if they were speaking through the camera.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR NEST CAMERA FROM GETTING HACKED
Nest told users that the company notifies users if they detect their email was part of another website breach.
When this happens, the firm will proactively disable their Nest account as a security measure.
Other steps users can take:
- Enable two-factor authentication - They'll be sent a protected code every time they sign in.
- Choose stronger passwords - A more secure password includes eight characters or more, as well as a combination of upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers.
- Set up a Family Account - Instead of sharing your password, share access to your home devices with a user.
- Be aware of phishing emails that can make your account vulnerable.
- Protect your home network - Make sure your router is up to date and only share login info with select users.
He immediately pulled up the video feed and could hear the woman's voice speaking to his son through the kitchen camera and 'using bad words'.
'It feels as though my heart is about to beat through my chest. The blood rushes to my face. I am completely helpless,' he said of the experince.
Once the woman's verbal 'joy riding', as Newcombe describes it, turned dark, he unplugged the cameras and changed all the passwords.
He told his nanny to take their son to a park down the street in an effort to escape.
Newcombe pointed out that upon doing some research online, he learned he is among a sea of similar cases.
Earlier this year, another family in Los Angeles told of their panic when hackers took over their Nest home security camera to give them a fake warning that three North Korean missiles were about to hit America.
In December 2018 a Phoenix man thought he was getting robbed when he first heard an unfamiliar voice inside his home.
Google, which owns Nest, was forced to send an email to owners of its security devices earlier this year telling them to reset their passwords and enable stronger account authentication settings in light of an uptick in hacked cameras.
This came after users began reporting a number of bizarre cases, where hackers appeared to take over their Nest security cameras to hurl insults at them, spy on their sleeping baby and even tell Amazon's Alexa to play the song Despacito.
Newcombe described his frustration with Google after calling Nest support which appeared unhelpful.
'I was on hold for an hour and eight minutes. I followed all directions and have subsequently received form emails in broken English,' he wrote.
'Nobody from Google has acknowledged the incident or responded with any semblance of empathy. In every email, they remind me of two-step authentication. They act as if I am going to continue to use Nest cameras. '
HOW HAS NEST BEEN HACKED BEFORE?
Nest Cam security cameras are connected to cell phones and provide 24/7 live streaming as well as a built-in speaker and mic so you can hear what's happening at home and talk to family, children, or intruders.
A family in LA told of their panic when hackers took over their Nest home security camera to give them a fake warning that three North Korean missiles were about to hit America.
In December 2018 a Phoenix man thought he was getting robbed when he first heard an unfamiliar voice inside his home.
But this hacker assured Andy Gregg that he had no 'malicious' intentions by accessing his Nest. He was actually a 'white hat hacker', a computer security specialist who hacks into protected systems and networks to assess their security.
In the same month a Houston couple said an unknown man hacked into their wireless baby monitor on Monday and threatened to kidnap their four-month-old son
And in November a New York mother said she is now living in fear after finding out her family's Nest home monitoring system was recently hacked by a stranger.
