The Morning After: Your cheap video doorbell may have serious security issues
Video doorbells manufactured by a Chinese company called Eken, sold under different brands for around $30 each, have serious security issues, according to Consumer Reports. These doorbell cameras are sold on Walmart, Sears and even with an Amazon Choice badge on Amazon.
As is often the case with basic technology products, the device is available under multiple brands, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf, among others. Most pair with an app called Aiwitt.
These devices aren't encrypted and can expose the user's home IP address and WiFi network name to the internet, making it easy for scumbags to gain entry. Worse, somebody could easily take control of it by creating an account on the Aiwit app, going up to the doorbell and then pressing a button to put it into pairing mode, which then connects it with their phone.
Worse still, even if the original owner regains control, the hijacker can still get time-stamped images from the doorbell, as long as they know its serial number.
There's no way to protect yourself if you do own this doorbell series. Temu told Consumer Reports it's looking into the issue. Amazon, Sears and Shein reportedly didn't respond.
- Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missedMicrosoft plans to streamline game upscaling across different graphics cards
The best DACs for Apple Music Lossless
This week's gaming news: layoffs and weird PR emails
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
Dell XPS 16 laptop reviewBeauty and power come at a cost.The XPS 16 stands out from most other large laptops by combining power and beauty. But you'll have to suffer through some usability tradeoffs. For example, the XPS 16's invisible trackpad, a lovely divisive design feature, is still annoying and not for everyone. A lack of ports counteracts that minimalist design. (No HDMI, no SD card reader.)
UK government wants to use AI to cut civil service jobsThat's not a typo.The UK government is actively promoting the use of AI to do the work normally done by civil servants, including drafting responses to parliamentary inquiries, the Financial Times reports.
UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will unveil a red box tool that can allegedly absorb and summarize information from reputable sources, like the parliamentary record. A separate instrument is also being trialed that should work for individual responses to public consultations. The Telegraph quoted Dowden arguing that implementing AI technology is critical to cutting civil service jobs - something he wants to do. It really is the only way, I think, if we want to get on a sustainable path to headcount reduction."
Meta is killing the Facebook News tab in the US and AustraliaThe tab is already gone in the UK, France and Germany.In early April, the Facebook News tab will disappear for users in the US and Australia. Meta has announced it's pulling the dedicated tab to align [its] investments to [its] products and services people value the most." Meta added that the number of people using the News tab in the US and Australia over the past year has dropped by 80 percent.
By pulling the News tab in Australia, the company will stop paying publishers in the country for their content after their current deals end. A few years ago, Facebook blocked Australian news links in response to the then-proposed law requiring companies like Meta to pay media organizations for their content. The company unblocked news links just a few days after striking deals with Australian media organizations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-your-cheap-video-doorbell-may-have-serious-security-issues-121525353.html?src=rss