Smart home gadgets are fast becoming a trend in most homes. But with such internet-connected gadgets, security becomes a challenge due to the activities of hackers. That was the experience of a Texas-based US couple who had their home security cameras breached by hackers. The hackers demanded 50 Bitcoin which is estimated to be worth $400,000. But the plain old battery removal came to the rescue.

Tania Amador, a 28-year-old who lives in Grand Prarie just outside Dallas, gave a video to local news which reportedly showed that her Ring security system had been hacked by cryptocurrency hungry scammers who demanded 50 Bitcoin (around $400,000 rounded up).

Amador told WFAA; “I was asleep and our Ring alarm was going off like an intruder had entered our home. Then we heard a voice coming from our camera.” She disclosed the voice said “Ring support! Ring Support! We would like to notify you that your account has been terminated by a hacker.” Apart from demanding a 50 Bitcoin ($400,000) payment, the hacker threatened Amador by saying that she will be terminated herself if she doesn’t oblige. “Pay this 50 Bitcoin ransom or you will get terminated yourself,” they said. The hackers even managed to gain control of her Ring doorbell to make it appear that they were outside her home. Amador and her boyfriend had to take the batteries out of the hijacked cameras, shutting off the hacker.

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A Google search shows that this isn’t an isolated case as several persons have reported similar hacking of their Ring cameras. Motherboard report recently found that there is software available specifically designed to hack Ring cameras which cost as little as $6.

Amazon’s Ring has since responded to the incident. The home security company told WFAA and Amador that the hacks were a result of a third-party data breach in which Ring account details were exposed. This was not a result of Ring’s security being breached or compromised, it said.

Whatever the cause is, the breach once again reminds us that our smart home gadgets can be hacked easily. So, it is best you change your password regularly and avoid granting phone access to third-party apps that are not trusted.

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Amazon patent application sheds light on a way to monitor the vicinity with a doorbell camera that could alert homeowners and police of any suspicious activities. Ring, Amazon’s video doorbell company, has forwarded two facial recognition-related patent applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office this year and both have received several criticisms in regard to civil liberties.

The company that was acquired by Amazon in April filed two patent applications which became popular in recent weeks. Both examined ways of using Ring’s devices to identify “suspicious” people in a neighbourhood and then automatically inform the law enforcement agencies.  Persons such as convicted felons, sex offenders or people on a “most wanted” record.

Presently, Ring’s doorbells do not have facial recognition feature for identification of specific people. A similar technology is Google’s Nest Hello video doorbells that already include facial recognition software to identify friends and relatives, but a connection to law enforcement is not included. However, the patent applications raise fresh concerns with regard to tech companies’ initial use of facial recognition software. The American Civil Liberties Union has often criticized the idea, saying that it could generate an unjust surveillance state which could target political activists and those unfairly deemed a menace to the public.

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A representative for Amazon told The Washington Post that “Amazon normally files forward-looking patent applications that regard new, potential tech”. The spokesman added that patent applications do not necessarily reflect development plans. Sure, this is one patent for the future and there are lots of hurdles to cross if ever Amazon hopes to deploy this tech.

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