Aussie parents warned to ‘stay vigilant’ as stranger hacks into baby monitor
Two Aussie parents have been left completely 'shaken' after a man watched and spoke to their one-year-old through their baby monitor.
Experts have urged parents to remain "vigilant" after a mystery man hacked into a family's baby monitor and used it to watch, and speak with, their one-year-old baby.
Poppy Radbone and her husband Jay, an Aussie rapper who goes by J-MILLA, woke up at around 6am on September 25 to the usual sound of their daughter, Blossom, cooing.
The next sound they heard though was one they hope to never hear again. It was a stranger's voice and he was talking to their daughter, trying to "comfort" her.
"At first I thought it was Jay but then I felt he was next to me in bed and my heart fell to the ground," Poppy told Yahoo News Australia. "Then Jay ran into the room because we thought [an intruder] must be in there".
Jay, from Adelaide, realised the voice was coming through the video-enabled monitor so ripped it out of the socket. "We haven't used it since".
Poppy and Jay, who have large social media followings, wanted to share their experience to warn other families but waited until three weeks later because of concerns for their safety immediately after.
Tim Falinski, Managing Director at cyber security firm Trend Micro, told Yahoo News Australia that while it's still relatively unlikely for this to happen, the incident is "not isolated".
"As more of us use integrated smart devices in our everyday lives, which are connected to the internet, threats are always just around the corner. This leaves us vulnerable to attacks," he said.
Baby monitor was set up for months
The morning of the incident Poppy's phone was sent an alert after detecting sound and motion from Blossom in her cot.
"The person who had access to our baby monitor got notification of sound and motion too I presume. [But] I don't know how long he'd been watching," Poppy said.
The baby monitor with the camera had been set up since Blossom was just three months old and Poppy is terrified of what the man may have seen before.
"Sometimes we're in there half-naked," Poppy said, recollecting all the seemingly innocent times she and her child could have been watched while in their own home.
Do you have a cyber crime story? Contact reporter Laura Koefoed at laura.koefoed@yahooinc.com
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Others have had the same experience
The parents were completely "shaken" by the incident and contacted friends and family with children to find out if this had happened to them before, and to see if anyone had any advice on what to do next.
But, it was after posting their warning online that they saw how many people had gone through something similar.
"Yes happened to me too," one commenter shared. "Someone was watching it when I was in the room!"
"We have the same monitor and we never witnessed it but my son came to me and said 'no more camera my camera talking to me'," said another, adding: "We haven’t used it since."
Tips on how parents can safeguard their baby monitors at home
All baby monitors, and any other device that uses internet, can be hacked into, so Tim has shared how important it is for parents to stay vigilant by following a few simple steps:
Make sure all devices connected to the home network are accounted for and up to date with the latest software available.
Enable password protection where possible and always use strong passwords that make it harder for a hacker to crack.
Set up the baby monitor according to the instruction manual as they provide a good explanation of how to use the device, how to set it up correctly, and how to configure its security settings.
Get security software to ensure the protection of your internet-connected devices. This will help prevent smart devices from being hacked.
Where to report it if your baby monitor is hacked
Poppy tried to report the incident to the baby monitor manufacturer and local police, but both had no answers or advice on what to do next.
"[The police] didn't note down or report it. I thought they would make me feel better but they didn't," Poppy said. Yahoo reached out to South Australia Police who declined to comment.
If you have an incident like this and are not in immediate danger, you can report it to The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre here or call your local Police Assistance Line for over the phone advice.
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