Technology

Are your smart home cameras spying on you? Study reveals shocking data grabs

Published

3 days ago

December 29, 2024

Are your smart home cameras spying on you? Study reveals shocking data grabs

Smart home cameras have become a necessity. You already know they help keep an eye on what’s happening indoors and outdoors, even when you’re not home.

But while these cameras are undeniably useful, they also pose a privacy risk. A new study highlights outdoor security camera apps as some of the biggest collectors of user data.

This includes sensitive personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, payment details, precise location and more.

GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE

Smart outdoor camera (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How smart home cameras can be spying on you

According to a study conducted by Surfshark, outdoor security camera apps are some of the top offenders when it comes to collecting user data. These apps gather 12 data points on average, including sensitive details like email addresses, phone numbers, payment information and precise location. That’s 50% more than what other smart home devices typically collect. What’s even worse is that these apps often connect up to seven of these data points directly to your identity.

Indoor security camera apps are slightly less data-hungry but still raise privacy concerns. They collect an average of nine data points, with six typically tied to users’ identities. Commonly collected data includes email addresses, phone numbers, user IDs, device IDs, purchase histories and audio data. While this information can help improve the user experience, it also increases the risk of privacy violations.

One of the biggest concerns with both outdoor and indoor security camera apps is the kind of data they collect. Many of these apps gather personal info like your name, email, phone number and physical address. Some apps, such as Arlo, Deep Sentinel, and D-Link, even grab data about your contacts, which can be accessed outside of the app. This data isn’t actually necessary for the apps to do their job.

Smart camera (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MASSIVE SECURITY FLAW PUTS MOST POPULAR BROWSERS AT RISK ON MAC

Which apps collect the most data?

Among the apps that collect the most data, Deep Sentinel and Lorex stand out for outdoor security cameras, each collecting 18 out of a possible 32 data points. Nest Labs, which leads the pack for indoor cameras, collects 17 data points, with Ring and Arlo each gathering 15.

The absence of regulations and standards for smart home devices creates significant privacy risks. Without clear guidelines, users are vulnerable to data breaches, cyberattacks and even physical harm. Some apps track users for targeted ads or share data with third parties and data brokers. While outdoor security cameras typically avoid tracking, indoor cameras like Nooie and Canary Connect engage in user tracking, further complicating privacy concerns.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Smart indoor camera (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

4.3 MILLION AMERICANS EXPOSED IN MASSIVE HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT DATA BREACH

9 ways to stay safe from the risks associated with smart home cameras

1. Limit data sharing: Look for smart home camera apps that allow you to control what data is shared. Many apps offer settings that let you disable certain data collection features, like location tracking or audio recording. Customizing these settings can significantly reduce your risk of exposing personal information.

2. Regularly review and update privacy settings: Smart home cameras often receive software updates that may change privacy settings. It’s important to regularly review the app’s privacy settings to make sure they align with your preferences. Disable features that aren’t essential, such as sharing data with third-party apps or advertisers.

3. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA): Make sure your camera’s app and associated accounts are protected by strong, unique passwords. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.

4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible: This adds an extra layer of security in case your account information is compromised.

5. Be mindful of camera placement: If your camera is collecting sensitive data like audio or images of people in your home, be mindful of where you place it. Avoid positioning cameras in private areas like bedrooms or bathrooms. This reduces the amount of potentially sensitive data the camera can capture.

6. Consider using local storage instead of cloud services: Some cameras offer local storage options, where footage is stored directly on a device like a hard drive or SD card, rather than in the cloud. This keeps your data more secure since it’s not accessible via the internet and is less likely to be exposed during a data breach.

7. Use a VPN: Encrypt your internet connection with a VPN to safeguard data transmitted from your smart home devices. This is an easy yet powerful way to add an extra layer of protection to your network. Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service can enhance your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, making it harder for hackers and third parties to intercept your data, especially on public Wi-Fi. A VPN masks your IP address, helping to obscure your location and online activity. While VPNs don’t directly prevent phishing emails, they reduce the exposure of your browsing habits to trackers that may use this data maliciously. With a VPN, you can securely access your email accounts from anywhere, even in areas with restrictive internet policies. For best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices

8. Regularly review privacy policies: Stay informed about how your devices and apps collect, store and share your data. Ensure that you are aware of any changes to privacy terms that may affect your information.

9. Consider home security systems with enhanced physical security features, but be aware that, like all smart devices, they collect a variety of user data, including personal information, device data and location tracking. To minimize privacy risks, here are some tips for adjusting the settings within most security system apps:

Disable location tracking: The security company may use location data for features like geofencing, which triggers actions based on your proximity to your home. If you’re concerned about privacy, you can disable location tracking in the app to prevent the system from collecting this data.
Limit video storage: Many security company’s cameras can store video footage in the cloud, but you can adjust the app settings to limit how long footage is stored or to delete it automatically after a certain period.
Adjust device permissions: Review and adjust permissions for devices like cameras and smart locks to limit data collection. For example, disable audio recording if it’s not necessary for your security needs.
Control third-party data sharing: Your security company may share data with third parties, so it’s essential to check and disable any settings that allow your data to be shared beyond your security system’s ecosystem.

By actively managing these settings and using a VPN, you can significantly reduce your exposure to potential privacy risks associated with your smart home system. Check out my picks for best security systems.

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET

Kurt’s key takeaway

The rapid rise of IoT tech has changed the way we live and interact. But without proper rules in place, companies might put profits over user safety. This can lead to devices with security holes and weaknesses. A lot of smart home cameras are collecting more data than they really need and aren’t clear about what they’re doing with it. It could be sold to third-party companies or used to target you with ads.

Do you feel comfortable with the amount of data your smart home devices collect? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover

Follow Kurt on his social channels

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

A Cybertruck ‘blew up’ outside Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas

Published

26 minutes ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

A Cybertruck ‘blew up’ outside Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas

A Tesla Cybertruck appeared to explode outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday morning. A video shared on X shows the truck engulfed in flames just outside the hotel’s lobby, with the person who captured it saying the Cybertruck “blew up.”

It’s still not clear what caused the fire, or if there were any injuries. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said they are “investigating” and that the fire had been put out. Local news station KSNV News 3 Las Vegas said a vehicle fire was first reported at 8:41AM local time and that police and firefighters were responding.

The news of the fire comes amid numerous reports about Tesla CEO Elon Musk getting closer to President-elect Donald Trump. Musk spent New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago and reportedly sat in during Trump’s dinner with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Musk has also been staying at a cottage on Trump’s Florida property since around Election Day, according to a report from The New York Times.

Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK
— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025

Technology

Receiving unexpected international calls? What you need to know

Published

47 minutes ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Receiving unexpected international calls? What you need to know

Receiving unexpected international calls can be a source of anxiety for many individuals. Whether it’s a single ring from an unknown number or multiple missed calls from abroad, the uncertainty can leave you wondering about the implications for your privacy and security.

Kathy S. recently reached out with a concern many of us can relate to: “I have received calls from Beijing and Russia on my cellphone. I did not answer them. Can you tell me why this is happening? Is my phone at risk?”

If you’ve experienced similar calls, you’re not alone. Let’s examine this issue and discover what’s really going on.

GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS, SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT

A man receiving an international call on his cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

The rise of international call scams

International call scams have become increasingly common in recent years. One particularly prevalent scam is known as “Wangiri,” which originates from Japan and means “one-ring-and-cut.” These scammers typically let your phone ring once or twice before hanging up, hoping to pique your curiosity and prompt a callback.

A woman receiving an international call on her cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE & IPAD FROM MALWARE

Why are you receiving these international scam calls?

There are several reasons why you might be receiving calls from unfamiliar international numbers.

Wangiri scam: Scammers use automated systems to call thousands of numbers, disconnecting after one ring. If you call back, you may be connected to a premium rate number, incurring significant charges.

Telemarketing and robocalls: Some companies use international numbers to bypass local regulations and reach a wider audience.

Number spoofing: Scammers can make their calls appear to come from different countries, tricking you into answering.

A woman receiving an international call on her cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO STOP ANNOYING ROBOCALLS

Is your phone at risk?

While receiving unexpected international calls doesn’t necessarily put your phone at immediate risk, there are several potential dangers to be aware of. The primary risk lies in potential financial losses if you engage with these scammers. If you call back, you may be connected to a premium rate service number owned by the fraudster. You could also be charged heavily for these calls, with the scammer aiming to keep you on the line to increase the billed amount.

While less common with Wangiri scams, there’s always a risk of personal information theft if you engage with unknown callers. Sharing sensitive data like bank account numbers or Social Security numbers could lead to identity theft.

Answering or returning these calls may signal to scammers that your number is active, potentially leading to more scam calls in the future. Although not typically associated with Wangiri scams, some sophisticated phone scams can potentially install malware on your device if you click on certain links, prompts or follow instructions given by the scammer.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

A woman receiving an international call on her cellphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to protect yourself

While these international calls can be concerning, there are several steps you can take to safeguard yourself and your personal information. Here are six effective strategies to help protect against potential scams and unwanted calls.

1) Don’t answer or call back: If you receive a call from an unknown international number, resist the urge to answer or return the call.

2) Block suspicious numbers: Use your phone’s built-in features to block these numbers and prevent future calls.

3) Report the calls: Inform your phone carrier and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about these suspicious calls.

4) Use call-blocking apps: Consider installing call-blocking apps to identify and block spam calls.

5) Be cautious with personal information: Never share sensitive data over the phone, especially with unfamiliar callers.

6) Invest in personal data removal services: Consider using services that remove your personal data from the internet, reducing the chances of scammers obtaining your information. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

HOW TO GET RID OF ROBOCALLS WITH APPS AND DATA REMOVAL SERVICES

Kurt’s key takeaways

While unexpected international calls can be alarming, understanding the nature of these scams empowers you to protect yourself. By staying informed and following the preventive measures outlined above, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to these schemes. Remember, your best defense is a combination of caution, awareness and proactive steps to safeguard your personal information.

Are phone companies doing enough to help protect consumers from international scam calls? Let us know what you think by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Technology

New York state is defying Trump’s plans to roll back climate action

Published

8 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

New York state is defying Trump’s plans to roll back climate action

New York governor Kathy Hochul signed landmark climate legislation into law last week, showing how states can keep holding polluters accountable even when President-elect Donald Trump rolls back environmental protections.

New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act will require the biggest multinational oil and gas companies to contribute to a fund that’ll be used for infrastructure projects meant to protect New York residents from increasingly dangerous climate disasters like storms and sea level rise.

“New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world”

Trump will soon step back into office and is expected to dismantle existing climate policies and gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), having openly disparaged clean energy and federal environmental regulations on the campaign trail. So for the next four years at least, Americans will have to rely on local and state efforts like this to deal with the pollution from fossil fuels that’s causing climate change.

“New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable,” State Senator Liz Krueger said in a statement after Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law.

Krueger’s office expects the law to generate $75 billion over the next 25 years. But in the immediate future, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will first have to propose guidelines for how the fund works. That includes rules for who has to pay into the fund, how the state collects the money, and what kinds of infrastructure projects the fund will support. The law will apply to fossil fuel companies historically responsible for more than 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. And at least 35 percent of the benefits of the fund are supposed to reach “disadvantaged” communities.

The plan is loosely modeled after state and federal laws that have been in place for decades to hold companies responsible for toxic waste sites they leave behind. But instead of directing funds to cleaning up hazardous substances at old industrial sites, New York’s new law would fund resiliency projects such as upgrading storm water drainage systems.

“New York taxpayers were 100 percent on the financial hook for climate costs. Now Big Oil will pay for much of the damages that they helped cause,” New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Executive Director Blair Horner said in a press release.

The Climate Change Superfund Act is supposed to reduce New Yorkers’ future tax burden by $3 billion each year, according to NYPIRG. Extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change are expected to cost half a trillion dollars in preparation and recovery efforts in New York by 2050, Kreuger’s office says.

Joe Biden set a goal of slashing US greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 pollutions levels as part the country’s commitment to the Paris climate accord. He also signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, a massive spending package that set aside $369 billion for climate action and clean energy technologies.

Trump, on the other hand, says he’ll take the US out of the Paris agreement again (which he briefly did during his first term before Biden recommitted the US to the accord). The President-elect has also said that he’ll rescind any unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. He rolled back more than 100 environmental regulations when he was last president, and says that his pick for the Environmental Protection Agency this time around will ensure “swift deregulatory decisions” at the agency once again.

Still, state laws can make up for some of the ground lost in the fight against climate change. New York’s Climate Superfund Act will have to survive any legal challenges, of course. But this isn’t the first time the state has made ambitious environmental plans while facing hostility toward climate action from Trump. In 2019, New York state passed its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. That put the state on a path to slashing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, although progress has been slow since then.

New York’s latest answer to the environmental deregulation looming on the horizon is just one part of a larger trend that marked the first Trump presidency, and is poised to be part of the second. Earlier this year, Vermont passed its own Climate Superfund law. Similar legislation has also been introduced in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and in Congress, according to the nonprofit Food & Water Watch.