Can Blink Camera Be Hacked?

Blink is a company owned by the e-commerce giant Amazon and they produce smart cameras to help people secure their homes, the Blink cams offer many features such as a 1080p resolution that allows you to see day and night, two-way audio, motion detection alerts, a powerful battery that can last up to 2 years and much more other features.

Many users are wondering if this device that secures their lives may be used by attackers to spy on them, so can Blink cameras be hacked?

The answer is yes hackers can gain access to this gadget by exploiting a hole in the software that runs the cam, or in your home network, or a glitch in any gadgets connected to the same network.

In the following chapters of this article, I am going to explain in detail how hackers can enter your cam and what blink is doing to protect you and what you can do in order to secure this device from those people.

How does Blink keep their cameras private and secure?

The Blink company is aware of the hacking threats and takes this topic seriously to protect its users and uses different techniques and methods to do so, and I will explain them in detail.

• Limited login attempts: Attackers rely on bots to test different combinations of passwords and usernames in order to find the right one. So the company has therefore set up a system when someone enters 5 failed login attempts, the account will be locked for 10 minutes.
  
  Also, they’ll send a message to your email address along with the Device name and its IP address to inform you that the account has been locked.
  
• Software Security Updates: Like any other manufacturer Blink releases new updates until at least 4 years after the device is last available for purchase on their websites.
  
  These updates are intended to improve the functionality of the device, as well as to correct any security issues detected by engineers in order to cut off the road for attackers to access the cameras.
  
• Strict password requirements: The Blink account that you use to control your cam have password encryption that is set by the owner of the camera, and Blink has a strict requirement to validate your passwords such as 8 or more characters, and at least one uppercase letter, lower case letter, number, special character.
  
• Encrypted Video Footage: The company encrypts all the videos captured by your cameras so when someone gains access to your device he will not be able to see the recorded footage.
  
• Two-factor authentification: When you set your account the app demands your phone number to send you a PIN number in order to provide secure and convenient authorization of the following actions: Blink account login, Forgot Password, New device login, Change of the phone number, change of email address, Change of Blink password.
  
  So the hacker can not change this information because he will need the confirmation code sent to your phone which is something impossible.
  
  They also validate your email account, authenticate each login, notify you of major account changes, and include biometric security features of your device in their app, and they hide all your personal account information from their employees.

How hackers can penetrate your Blink Cameras?

• Blink account: This account is generally used to control your camera remotely and see what’s happening in your house or talk to people next to the camera.
  
  But this account can be targeted by people who want to gain access to your device, so they spam your login details until they can find your account information, some hackers may find this process easier when you’re using an easy password.
  
• Blink app: The app is also required to set up and monitor your camera from your mobile or tablet, and the manufacturer releases new updates to correct the security flaw that can be found on the software, So if you don’t update it attackers may exploit the old version of the app to get into your device.
  
• Home network: The home network is one of the favorite prey for hackers because people are neglecting the security of their routers and modem, so when someone wants to get your camera on his hand he will try to get the password of your Wifi or use bugs in the router firmware because he is rarely updated by the users.
  
  The problem is when your network is hacked all your devices connected to it will be vulnerable not only your Blink cameras.
  
• From your Voice assistant: Blink is compatible with Alexa voice assistant, so you can manage it using gadgets such as Echo Show, Echo Dot, Echo Spot using simple voice commands.
  
  And if these gadgets are not updated or secured the right way hackers may target them in order to control and manage your camera.
  
• Other connected gadgets: People who want to hack your Blink cam may use any device in the same network like your smartphone, computer, tablets, or any other connected device as an entry point in order to get access, so all your appliances that are linked to the internet need to be protected.

How to know if your Blink cam has been hacked?

Being aware of the signs that your camera has been hacked in time is key to protecting it before it’s too late, and here are the signs that you can tell that someone is inside your camera:

• A strange voice coming from the cam: When you hear a weird voice coming from the camera, that means someone has entered your gadget and he’s talking to you and that’s considered a big sign of the presence of a hacker, so you need to take action quickly before he can change the password.
  
• Presence of foreign device on your network: If you see a presence of an unknown device in your network map and you’re sure it’s not a gadget of one of your family members that could be proof that an attacker has accessed your network.
  
• Unknown programs on your computer: A hacker may install a program in your computer to steal your information, So if you find strange software in your computer it may be an attacker who has installed it.
  
  Also, frequent pop-up windows, especially the ones that encourage you to visit unusual sites, or download software, or you notice mass emails being sent from your email account, or Changes in your home page all are signs that you shouldn’t ignore.
  
• Strange app in your mobile or tablet: Not only software but you can also find weird apps installed in your smartphone or tablet without your permission, and hackers install them to get your account information such as your Blink username and password.
  
• Slow internet speed: If you’re the only one using the internet inside the home and you’re experiencing a slow internet speed, it could be someone that gets into your network and he’s using your internet with you.
  
  This is not considered a big sign because sometimes the internet is slow due to other reasons.
  
• Change in the settings: The Blink cam gives you the possibility to change settings such as adjusting the activity zones, modifying the clip length, adjusting the speaker volume and video quality, and many more other options.
  
  So if you see a change in these settings that means an attacker has changed them.
  
• Camera blue lights are On: The Blink cam shows blue LED lights when it’s recording, if you see these lights On when no one is using it so that could be a stranger who is using it so be careful at this point.

What a hacker can do if he accesses your Blink cameras?

I can say that if a hacker breaks into your account and takes control of your camera, your privacy will be at risk because he will have the possibility to watch and talk to you through this device without forgetting that he can listen to all your conversation.

An attacker can change the settings of the gadgets as he wants, and can also use the cam as an entry point to access all your connected devices inside your house and steal your personal information such as credit card, social security number, photos, and much more and it will be a disaster for you if he can get all of that.

Tips to prevent Blink cameras from being hacked?

Now you know that a hacker can penetrate your camera and you know that if he succeeds in that it will be a disaster for you, so here I am going to show you the solutions that you can implement in order to face those people.

• Create a strong password: Creating a difficult password for all your connected devices is an essential step if you want to face those hackers, in order to do that avoid using passwords such as “abcde” or “azerty” or “12345” and set a complex one that includes upper cases, lower cases, numbers, letters, special characters.
  
  I can see the following passwords as good examples: “K6a3e7@R#h%Dy+J” or “A87bzO94+Z@§2n=$%” or “Nb23@U=v19+1_H%6g”.
  
  Also, passwords generator are useful because they create completely random passwords that are near impossible to guess so they improve security.
  
• Update the firmware: We already talked about the importance of firmware and how attackers can use them, so make sure to update all your connected gadgets including your cameras and all software and apps on your phones, tablets, and computers.
  
• Regularly Update Your Passwords: As a hacker may attempt to access your account more than once over a period of time, so it’s considered good practice to change your password every six months but make sure to never use a simple one.
  
• Don’t share account information: Try to avoid giving your account passwords and username to another person because you don’t know if his network or his devices are really that secure to keep your information safe.
  
• Implement Firewalls, Antivirus Software and VPN: According to Norton, a firewall checks access by evaluating the incoming network traffic for anything malicious like hackers and malware that could infect your device.
  
  Antivirus and VPN are just as important as firewalls, the antivirus can be great when trying to prevent intrusion into a device and the VPN encrypts your data and keeps you anonymous while surfing the web.
  
• Disconnect the unused devices: When you’re not using your connected gadgets such as your smartphone or computer make sure to disconnect them because hackers can use any device to get into your Blink cameras.
  
• Use Different Log-in For Every Account: Make sure to avoid using the same password and username for all your accounts that you use because if a hacker gets access to one of them he will use this log-in information to get into all your accounts.

Final words.

Blink cameras are considered one of the best on the markets and they can do a great job at securing your house and by implementing the security measures that I showed you in this article it will be very hard for hackers to access your cam.