Recently, there has been significant discussion about Ring devices being “hacked.” However, it’s essential to clarify the term “hacked.” While it often implies that a device lacks security, that isn’t necessarily the case with Ring devices. The term “hacking” generally refers to unauthorized access.
So, can a Ring Alarm be hacked? Yes, but typically it involves obtaining the user’s email and password linked to their Ring account. In essence, any account is vulnerable if its credentials fall into the wrong hands. Malicious actors can deploy software on PCs or mobile devices to monitor user activity, capturing emails and passwords. To date, Ring devices have not been compromised without the misuse of such credentials.
This means that Ring doesn’t have vulnerabilities in its devices or network. Users of smart devices have vulnerabilities in keeping their emails and passwords safe. Using weak passwords and having no security on your computer is the problem.
People also expose their log in details by inserting them into phishing websites created by hackers.
In this article, we’ll go through all these and other hacker techniques to advise you on how to avoid having your Ring Alarm from being hacked.
What Is A Ring Alarm?
The Ring Alarm is a security system created by Ring.
The system uses various smart devices to detect intruders in different ways. All these devices are connected to each other and alert you of any foul play happening at your home.
Let’s have a look at the different devices of the Ring Alarm Security System.
Base Station
The base station is the main part of any Ring Alarm system. All the devices that make part of the Ring Alarm connect to the base station to communicate what they see or sense.
Your base station then connects to your Wi-Fi for internet access which is how you will gain access from your phone to see everything.
The base station has a 104-decibel siren which goes off if there is a security breach.
Contact Sensors
Contact sensors connect to the doors and windows of your house to detect if they are opened while you’re sleeping or while you’re at work.
Motion Sensors
The Ring Alarm motion sensors are designed for indoor use and will let you know if there’s anyone moving around inside your house.
Keypads
Keypads are used to manually deactivate the alarm and also features emergency buttons.
Wifi Range Extenders
Not much to explain here, Wi-Fi range extenders allow you to install devices further away from your base station. You just need to set the extender up in the middle of the base station and the device you want to connect.
Battery Backup
The base station has a backup battery that will last 24 hours if your connected power goes off.
What Ring Alarm Kit Options Are There?
5 Piece Kit
1 X Base Station
1 X Contact Sensor
1 X Motion Detector
1 X Keypad
1 X Wi-Fi Range Extender
8 Piece Kit
1 X Base Station
3 X Contact Sensors
2 X Motion Detectors
1 X Keypad
1 X Wi-Fi Range Extender
14 Piece Kit
1 X Base Station
8 X Contact Sensors
2 X Motion Detectors
2 X Keypads
1 X Wi-Fi Range Extender
Smoke and CO Kit
1 X Base Station
1 X Smoke and CO listener
5 X Contact Sensors
2 X Motion Detectors
1 X Keypads
1 X Wi-Fi Range Extender
Enhanced Kit
1 X Base Station
1 X Smoke and CO listener
7 X Contact Sensors
1 X Flood and Freeze Sensor
1 X Panic Button
2 X Motion Detectors
1 X Keypads
1 X Wi-Fi Range Extender
How Can Your Ring Alarm Be Hacked?
By someone obtaining your password
The only known technique that “hackers” are using to gain access to Ring devices is by figuring out the user emails and passwords, and they aren’t getting that information in any way from Ring.
The way in which these hackers get the emails and passwords is mainly through phishing pages. What they do is set up their own webpage that looks like a popular web page like Google or Facebook.
Once they have this fake website in place they’ll send you an email prompting you to do something on that website like “Approval is required for your photo to go public, view your photo by following this link” and then they put their fake website link for you to follow.
If you click on the link, you go to the fake website and are required to enter your email and password. If you enter your email and password, the hacker saves your the details in their database, and either the fake webpage just refreshes or gives you an error recommending to trying again later.
Now your email and password are saved on a database and hackers and check if they can log in with that email and password over multiple different website accounts like your Ring account because most people use one password for everything.
The second easiest and popular way of hackers getting your password is by just going through all the common passwords like password1234, password, incorrect, 12345678, password1, and thousands of others.
Create a unique password with letters, numbers, and special characters longer than 8 characters in total.
Use two-factor-authentification to prevent hackers from accessing your accounts even if they do get your password they will need to enter an additional pin code that you’ll receive via email or SMS before logging into your accounts.
High-Level Hacking Techniques
These techniques involve installing different types of software onto your cell phone or computer to track your activities and log password inputs.
Keyloggers like Ardamax Keylogger logs every key you push on your keyboard for a hacker to see. Of course, if this is what’s happening then it’s not your Ring alarm that’s being hacked, it’s your computer.
The same goes for (RAT) Remote Administration Tool, this is something that is installed onto your computer by a hacker so that they can view your screen from wherever they are in the world. Again this is a PC hack and not a Ring Alarm hack.
Trojan Horses can be installed onto your computer or cell phone which can allow the hacker to view everything you’re doing. Use a reputable anti-virus, enable your firewall, and keep your system up to date.
You might be realizing at this point that it’s not Ring products which have holes in their security, you could be exposing yourself by visiting fake websites or downloading various things from the web which may have keyloggers and trojan horses attached.
How To Prevent Hackers From Hacking Your Ring Alarm
This advice on how to prevent your Ring Alarm from getting hacked includes keeping your PC and phone clear from intrusion.
- Use 2FA (Two-Factor-Authentification) with your Ring Alarm.
- Make sure to use reputable antivirus software on your computer so that you can avoid, keyloggers, RATs, and Trojan Horses.
- Keep your Windows firewall enabled.
- Make sure you use a strong password longer than 8 characters including special characters and numbers.
- Don’t use the same password for everything because if it’s exposed in one place it will allow hackers to gain access to all your accounts.
- Change your passwords periodically and keep track of them with password managers like Dashlane.
- Don’t follow links in random emails asking you to sign into places. It may be a phishing attempt.
- Don’t open any attachments in your emails unless you’re 100% certain about what it is.
- Don’t share your passwords with anyone.
Has Ring Been Hacked?
No, Ring, the company including their network, has not been hacked.
Only the users of the smart devices have been hacked mostly by hackers obtaining their passwords through phishing attacks, week passwords, keyloggers, malware, and Trojan Horses.
Are Ring Cameras Secure?
Yes, Ring cameras are very secure, the way that hackers get into them is by finding out what your password is through other means that are not secured like through your computer or through another website account which isn’t secure.
Is Ring A Good Security System?
Ring Alarm is a good security system for the following reasons:
- No contracts or hidden fees
- Alerts you in real-time of any security concerns
- Easy to install yourself
- Room for expansion of the system (Smoke and CO listeners, Flood and Freeze sensors)
Conclusion: Can Ring Alarm Be Hacked?
The only way in which Ring Alarms have been hacked is by hackers obtaining users’ passwords in the various ways stated above. They find your password in other places that aren’t secured like your computer if you log in with it.
You can still prevent this from happening by using 2FA which will send you a one-time-pin after you enter your password. You must then enter the one-time-pin before you’re allowed to log in to your Ring account.
If you use the same password for everything they will also have access to your email, bank account, Facebook, and whatever else. Use different passwords for different accounts. Otherwise, all your accounts will be at the same risk as your least secure account.
Ring has an optional 24/7 professional monitoring service available at $10/month.
Here is a link to the Ring support team if there is anything I haven’t covered in this article that you wanted to know.
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