Amazon Faces Lawsuits Over Amazon Ring Doorbell
Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit brought by plaintiff John Baker Orange. Orange alleges that a hacker broke into the video doorbell and spoke to his children. The lawsuit lists breach of privacy as the injury, but it could very well have been a lot worse. If the hacker was able to breach the home’s security system, he could have opened the door and injured or killed anyone inside. Then Amazon would be facing a very different kind of lawsuit with much higher stakes.
As it stands, there is some question as to whether or not Amazon knew there were security vulnerabilities in their Amazon Ring doorbell technology. If Amazon knew that there were potential security problems and failed to implement necessary security updates that would have prevented the invasion.
What Should Amazon Have Done?
There is some question as to what Amazon should have done when designing the devices. Plaintiffs contend that Amazon should have featured two-factor authentication to prevent easy access by hackers. Two-factor authentication requires that users submit a second piece of information to authenticate that it’s truly them. As an example, when you reset your email password, it typically requires that you provide a phone number. The process sends a text to your phone with a code and you enter this code to make sure that it’s you.
The Amazon Ring did not have any such safeguards resulting in wide scale security breaches and giving hackers easy access to places that customers would have rightfully believed were safe.
What Can Hackers Do?
Hackers can break into the Amazon Ring’s camera and then watch anyone inside the house and/or communicate with them. There has been an uptick in the number of attacks recently. In Florida, a hacker shouted racial slurs at a couple while they were in their own kitchen. In Mississippi, a hacker spoke to an 8-year-old girl while she was in her bedroom. In Texas, a couple was threatened by a hacker who demanded 50 bitcoin as a ransom.
Amazon recommends that all customers enable two-factor authentication, but many don’t even know what two-factor authentication means. The Ring, however, comes with a guide on how to enable it. The plaintiff says he didn’t even know that Ring had two-factor authentication until after it was hacked.
While there have been no instances of someone being killed, injured, or attacked by hackers who have compromised the Ring’s security system, the majority of people purchasing the Ring bought it because they believed that the device would improve their home security. They certainly did not expect hackers being able to case their homes and talk to their children.
Talk to a Houston, TX Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured by a defective or dangerous product, the Houston personal injury attorneys at Livingston & Flowers can sue the company on your behalf and recover significant damages related to any and all injuries you sustain as a result of the product. Call today to schedule a free consultation.
Resource:
vox.com/recode/2019/12/27/21039517/amazon-ring-hacking-lawsuit
https://www.livingstonflowerslaw.com/popular-dating-apps-let-known-sex-offenders-create-accounts/
