Photo: GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP via Getty
Two couples who both allege theirRing cameras were hackedhave filed suit against the company, claiming the invasion of privacy was “terrifying” and has caused emotional distress and anxiety.
But on the night of Dec. 4, both cameras — one of which was located in their daughters’ bedroom — allegedly began live-streaming and playing a song that appeared in the horror filmInsidious.
The couple’s 8-year-old daughter went into her bedroom to investigate the sound, and was soon hit withracial slurs from an anonymous man’s voice, who also told her he was Santa Claus and encouraged her to misbehave, the suit claims and video shows.
“It was… from a horror film, and I just thought this couldn’t be real,” she toldToday. “There’s no way this is real right now.”
In the time since, LeMay says she has had to take a leave of absence from work because of the “emotional distress this incident caused her,” according to the suit, and remains spooked knowing that the hacker — whom Ring has allegedly not identified to the family — knows their address and that four young girls live there.
“It was the most terrifying experience in my life,” she toldToday.
Meanwhile, Craig and Amador claim a similar incident occurred just five days later, saying they were in their home when a voice from their camera began laughing and shouting, “Ring support! Ring support!”
The hacker also said, “Pay this 50 bitcoin ransom or you will get terminated yourself!” according to the suit.
The couple has also not been told their hacker’s identity, and in the months since have suffered emotional distress, including “fear and anxiety” that someone is constantly spying on them, the suit claims.
The suit cites the fact that Ring doesn’t double-check whether someone is logging in from an unknown IP address, and that it allows users to try as many passwords as possible without locking them out.
“It is not uncommon for bad actors to harvest data from other company’s data breaches and create lists so that other bad actors can attempt to gain access to other services,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve emailed customers whose accounts we have identified as exposed and have reset their passwords. In addition, we are continuing to monitor for and block potentially unauthorized login attempts. We’ve also contacted all Ring customers, encouraging them to enable two-factor authentication, change their passwords, and follow these important best practices for keeping their accounts secure.”
The statement continued: “We know that customers are understandably concerned about privacy and data security. In the year ahead, we are committed to putting control and privacy front and center, while providing the best possible experience for users.”
The parties are suing for negligence, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment and invasion of privacy, among other allegations.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the plaintiff’s attorney, Hassan Zavareei, claimed that “Ring has been trying to blame consumers instead of taking responsibility for its own sloppy security practices.”
source: people.com
