Your Video Doorbell Might Be at Risk of Being Hacked

According to a Consumer Reports (CR) investigation, a long line of video doorbells sold by major retail companies such as Amazon, Walmart, SHEIN, Sears, and Temu are at risk of being hacked. Hackers have the potential to infiltrate these devices and access footage, IP addresses, and Wi-Fi networks, posing significant security risks to consumers, reports Business Insider.

Four companies were brought to light by test engineers at CR for selling almost identical makes of doorbell cameras. They said that all of these models were flagged as showing the same risk of cyberattacks.

These models are sold under the brand names Eken, Tuck, Rakeblue, and Fishbot, and they all use the Aiwit mobile app, owned by Eken, to control them.

Even with the alleged security issues, at least one doorbell from Tuck has the “Amazon’s Choice” recommendation. The model has a 4.3-star rating and has generated over 300 sales in the past month, as of Feb. 29.

According to Justin Brookman, director of technology policy for Consumer Reports, it is the responsibility of e-commerce platforms to ensure that harmful products are not being sold under their supervision. He said, “There is more they could be doing to vet sellers and respond to complaints. Instead, it seems like they’re coasting on their reputation and saddling unknowing consumers with broken products.”

Consumer Reports suggests that the products are so flawed that anyone could approach one of the tested doorbells, hold down the button for a sufficient time, and it will then pair and link the video doorbell to their account on the Aiwit app. Once they’re in, the device can be navigated from their phone when connected to Wi-Fi.

According to Consumer Reports, a hacker could also maintain access even if the owner re-paired their device with the doorbell by using the device’s serial number, which can be found during the pairing process with the video doorbell.

A spokesperson from Walmart stated that the company has removed the doorbells from both its online and physical stores and is providing refunds to customers in line with its return policy. The statement from Walmart said, “We expect these items to be safe, reliable and compliant with our standards and all legal requirements. Items that are identified to not meet these standards or requirements will be promptly removed from the website and remain blocked.”