Security researchers have found a vulnerability in Amazon Ring Doorbells that exposed the passwords for the Wi-Fi networks to which they were connected.
Bitdefender said the Amazon-owned doorbell was sending owners’ Wi-Fi passwords in cleartext as the doorbell joins the local network, allowing nearby hackers to intercept the Wi-Fi password and gain access to the network to launch larger attacks or conduct surveillance.
It’s another example of smart home technology suffering from security issues. As much as smart home devices are designed to make our lives easier and homes more secure, researchers keep finding vulnerabilities that allow them to get access to the very thing they’re trying to protect.
This latest IoT vulnerability highlights the urgent need for a new set of security standards and protocols that deal with the rapid emergence of connected devices. Governments need to establish guidance and manufacturers need to be held responsible for following best practices when designing ‘connected’ devices. Standards won’t eliminate all vulnerabilities, but they could bring order to what is right now the wild west of IoT.