PORTLAND, Maine — More people are tapping into technologies that make them feel safer, including doorbell cameras such as Ring or Google and Amazon devices that respond to you and keep an eye on your kids or dogs while you're away.
"It’s really all devices that are considered 'Internet of Things,' and what that means is it’s not generally a computer or a laptop. [It's] your Google voice devices, Alexa, security cameras," Paul Tracey, a cyber security educator and the founder and CEO of Innovative Technologies, said.
"What we’ve seen is, FedEx gets dropped off, hackers have gotten into a camera and they know that package is there, and they’re able to determine you don’t come home every day until 5 p.m.," Tracey said. "It’s allowing someone else to see your patterns and things that you don’t necessarily want someone else to know."
In extreme cases, hackers have been able to talk to people inside their homes through their cameras.
In Tennessee, a hacker broke into a Ring camera set up in an 8-year-old child's bedroom and told the girl he was Santa Claus. The little girl can be seen on camera screaming for her mother.
So what can you do to protect your devices and your family?
Tracey said start by changing passwords. Don't keep the admin password that came on the bottom of your internet router or your device, because that's the first thing a hacker will try.
Second, use different passwords for different devices.
Third, pay attention to any software updates.
"Just like you would check the batteries in your fire alarms or carbon monoxide detectors, maybe put something on your calendar that says, 'Even if I have automatic updates checked, once a month I’m going to check that all of my stuff is up-to-date,'" Tracey said.
He also recommended keeping those devices on a separate network than the one you use for your personal or work computer. That way, if it's hacked, you can immediately take down that network.
Sometimes there are clear signs of malicious attacks, but sometimes there just aren't, so always be on alert.
"There are clues that you can look for," Tracey said. "Your internet becomes increasingly slow but you haven’t added any devices and you aren't streaming four movies at a time."
While slower internet can be a provider issue, it also could mean there's something malicious on your network sending a lot of data back and forth.
"Any irregularities, things that just don’t seem right, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and get it looked at than to have someone inside your system stealing your data," Tracey said.
Do your research on these cameras before you buy one. Is it a reputable company? Do they update their security software regularly? And contact a local cyber security company if you need extra help.