A new class-action lawsuit against Amazon and its subsidiary, Ring Inc., claims cyber criminals are gaining access to Ring cameras and demanding Bitcoin (BTC) ransoms.
The $5-million federal lawsuit is being filed on behalf of four US families, reports ABC News.
Out of nowhere, the plaintiffs say voices started coming through their Ring security devices, spouting racial slurs and demanding the homeowners send them cryptocurrency. Â
John Baker Orange, the lead plaintiff, says he believes the issue is a global epidemic, and that there are “thousands of putative class members” who have been impacted.
Ring’s management says its devices are secure.
“Ring has not had a data breach. Our security team has investigated these incidents, and we have no evidence of an unauthorized intrusion or compromise of Ring’s systems or network.
It is not uncommon for bad actors to harvest data from other company’s data breaches and create lists like this so that other bad actors can attempt to gain access to other services.”
According to Tania Amador of Grand Prarie, she and her boyfriend pay Ring $100 per year to monitor their home and notify police of any suspicious activity captured on camera, reports WFAA.
Says Amador,
“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.”
The voice, claiming to be Ring support, said it was notifying Amador that her service had been terminated by a hacker. It also demanded 50 BTC worth approximately $368,000 or, it threatened, “You will get terminated yourself.”
Ring is asking all of its customers to utilize two-factor authentication to add a further layer of security and make it harder for malicious actors to gain access.
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