Seen At 11: Cyber Spies Could Target Your Child Through A Baby Monitor
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Baby monitors are supposed to be your eyes and ears when you aren't in the same room as your child, but hackers could use them to look into your life.
As CBS2's Weijia Jiang explained, one family reported that a stranger delivered a creepy message to their young son through a baby monitor.
"Wake up little boy, daddy's looking for you," the voice said.
The parents did not want to reveal their identity because they were worried the stranger could find them.
"Well, I started to cry in there, because it all started coming back to me, and I started figuring things out," the child's mother said.
The couple's 3-year-old son said he was afraid of the man talking over the monitor at night.
That was followed by more evidence of spying.
"My wife walked in and I heard the exact words, 'Look someone's coming, or someone's coming into view,'" the father said.
They said the hacker was even able to remotely control the camera.
Many baby monitors can connect with the internet, and come with a smartphone app so you can watch your baby from anywhere.
Tech experts say that easy access also makes it easier for hackers to attack.
"It's basically like they're standing next to you in your house," Mashable Chief Correspondent Lance Ulanoff explained.
But, Ulanoff said the best way to protect your privacy is by changing the default password that comes with the monitor to something unique and hard guess.
"If somebody else has your login information, they can go to that same app, and log into your webcam, which is what happened here," Ulanoff said.
That would give the hacker a clear look at the family's home and child.
