+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

'WAKE UP, YOU LITTLE...' Dads Wakes To Hear A Man Talking To His Little Girl Through Her Internet-Connected Baby Monitor

Sep 5, 2013, 17:10 IST

Myk WillisThere is a new trend in technology called "the Internet of things."

Advertisement

All your household electronics and appliances are getting connected to the Internet - everything from your lights to your thermostats.

In the long run, connecting these things to the Internet will provide all sorts of conveniences and efficiencies.

But there is a dark side to the Internet of Things.

Forbes, for example, just published a story by Kashmir Hill about a man named Marc Gilbert who woke up on the night of his 34th birthday to hear a sound coming from his 2-year-old daughter's bed room.

Advertisement

Gilbert says he heard a man saying to his daughter: "Wake up, you little slut."

Awful.

The voice was coming through her Internet-connected baby monitor.

Hill says the hacker probably found the baby monitor through a search engine called Shodan, which indexes the "Internet of Things" the way Google indexes the regular Internet.

Shodan can find all kinds of stuff: webcams, traffic lights, glucose meters.

Advertisement

Scary.

Hill says the key to protecting yourself against invasions like the one Gilbert went through is to never buy a Internet-connected gadget that is not password protected. Also, if you buy one that comes with a default password and user name, change it immediately.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article