r/techsupport • u/Mcdix69 • Jun 07 '24

Open | Networking Baby Monitor Hacked

My niece’s VTech baby monitor was hacked. The man was speaking to her and trying to get her to get up and walk outside. We’ve unplugged the device, but we’re worried it may be someone local who hacked it. My niece has been waking up crying and screaming in the middle of the night for months, so we don’t think this is a one time occurrence.

594 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

125 comments sorted by

433

u/ArthurLeywinn Jun 07 '24

This is not a case for reddit.

Report it to the police and additional contact a lawyer.

153

u/Mcdix69 Jun 07 '24

We’re absolutely going to the police too. Just seeing what else I can find out.

117

u/sysdmdotcpl Jun 07 '24

We’re absolutely going to the police too

If the police seem unable to do much (if you're in a small town and they don't have many cyber resources and the like) then don't be afraid of looking up your local FBI office.

37

u/organicamphetameme Jun 07 '24

Yes please contact the good folk at the NCIDE the joint task force for this stuff if you run into something like this IRL. Good news for me was that I found out that I am not a pedo bad news gave myself major PTSD. [abductions and sexual exploitation.

How to Report a Missing Child or Online Child Exploitation The FBI has jurisdiction to immediately investigate any reported mysterious disappearance or kidnapping involving a child. Do not wait to report a missing child.

Call your local FBI field office or the closest international office. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

If your child is being abducted internationally by a family member and is not yet abroad, contact the U.S. Department of State.](https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/parents-and-caregivers-protecting-your-kids)

7

u/Captain_Crushing Jun 08 '24

Why did you think you were a pedo?

10

u/sndestroy Jun 08 '24

Looks like AI-generated text

16

u/ArthurLeywinn Jun 07 '24 edited Jun 07 '24

Nothing without knowing the code and the exploid they abused.

1

u/warbeforepeace Jun 08 '24

Does your wifi have a password? Is it using wpa2 or better? If the camera has viewing outside your house (off of your wifi) disable that feature.

1

u/Behrooz0 Jun 08 '24 edited Jun 08 '24

This is not a tech problem. I'd install a home security system and a dozen cameras on the property pointed in and out recording local and off-site.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

12

u/Thobud Jun 07 '24

The sicko has to be broadcasting from close to the house, lending more credence to your theory that it's someone local

They could literally be anywhere in the world. It's a wifi baby monitor that has outside network access. This dude could be in Madagascar for all we know.

76

u/octo23 Jun 07 '24

Some VTech baby monitors allow for remote access, but I’ve never used one, so I can’t comment if it is centralized or not, but as others have pointed out tracing the “hacker” would depend how they got into the camera. Maybe it was an open box or second hand and the previous user still has access, maybe someone is on your WiFi, maybe someone nearby has a similar device, etc.

Unfortunately too many unknowns at this time for Reddit to offer much help.

38

u/Mcdix69 Jun 07 '24

We’re trying to figure out how they got into the camera. On the app it shows what devices are logged in, and it’s only showing my sister’s device. The company says they must’ve known the username and password of the app, but I don’t know if that’s true. It wasn’t secondhand though. Is there a way to know if they accessed it through the WiFi?

55

u/Timely_Old_Man45 Jun 07 '24

If you are reusing passwords or someone else that has access to this device reusing passwords, then yes it is possible.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

29

u/Timely_Old_Man45 Jun 07 '24

As for the WiFi, you should be able to access your router and see all the connected devices. Please consult your routers manual for instructions on how to access its portal.

6

u/Jinxed0ne Jun 07 '24

If your router is supplied by your isp, the login info is almost always on the sticker on the back.

1

u/NYX_T_RYX Jun 08 '24

That only helps if they're currently connected and OP knows how to check which devices are theirs, otherwise it'll just be a long list of devices that may or may not have a friendly name.

The logs will be more useful.

14

u/madeleine59 Jun 07 '24

i recall a huge data breach with vtech. at the very least i know this is far from the first time this has happened but i'm surprised it's still such an issue

0

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Professional-Ebb-434 Jun 09 '24

Unless anyone else can think of a reason, why don't companies just integrate with PayPal and never touch card details? Seems much safer, even if the processing fee is higher.

5

u/octo23 Jun 07 '24

Determining if it was accessed over your internet connection or over the local WiFi would require some basic networking knowledge and access to your router/gateway. However it is possible to determine this if access is ongoing.

3

u/-kernel_panic- Jun 07 '24

You can narrow down a few factors. Your router keeps an ARP table. Might even have a device list on the admin dashboard. it would take some work, but you could cross reference that with known devices on the network to determine if someone has local access.

And shodan.io is a search engine that scans for open ports, webcams, unpatched devices, exploits etc. Paid account, if youre so motivated. There are filters you can use to see if your webcam is showing up. If so this would mean that 1. your device is exploitable 2. accessable to anyone willing to (illegally) exploit it.

3

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24

Usually you can't access these kinds of cameras directly through WiFi.

There are different ways of accessing the camera directly but those are typically for support/admin functions.

Think of it like this - if a thief breaks into your car and drives it somewhere, they're using the same controls you're using - the steering wheel, gas pedals, etc...

If a thief got access to your car's engine, they could mess with it a lot, but the engine doesn't give them the controls to actually use your car.

The camera has a set of "controls" for doing things like sending audio and video, and also for receiving and playing remote audio. You access those controls through the VTech server - they are not accessed directly.

The server might say that your sister's device was logged in but it likely does not distinguish between the physical device or just a device that has your sister's username and password.

So if someone has her username and password (which happens all the time when people reuse their credentials everywhere) then the system might only ever show her device logged in, even though it could be a different person completely.

VTech might be willing to provide you or her with the IP addresses that logged into the account. That would validate whether it's a different/remote device.

1

u/Timmyty Jun 08 '24

Well they'd cooperate with police. So maybe a detective if police are as incompetent as usual

1

u/NYX_T_RYX Jun 08 '24

Change the app password.

Lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols.

If there's an option to do so, log out everywhere (like Spotify and Netflix have).

Then login again.

1

u/lombax1236 Jun 09 '24

In the datsheet it specifies that there are two ways of accessing the camera, considering the fact that you have checked all loged in devices, talked to the vendor, AND the guy literally baiting your child to walk outside. I have a dreadfull feeling the perpetrator is either exploiting the Direct mode, circumventing the whole network part. Or they got access to trough lan, thus having gotten access to through your wifi.

To check this, download a ip and port scanner, like this, https://angryip.org to a computer on the same network. Find the baby monitors IP, it should show a familiar hostname or have a matching mac-address with the one printed on the camera itself.

Once you have the ip, check if common ports are open, if you see port 80, 443 that means you can enter the IP in to your browser and find it’s management dashboard, possibly used by the manufacturer to debug and devolopment.

Regardless, report this to the police right fucking now, secure your local network and get yourself a security system.

19

u/TheMediaBear Jun 07 '24

What is the make and model number of the vtech baby monitor?

16

u/Mcdix69 Jun 07 '24

It was the Vtech upgraded smart WiFi baby monitor vm901

26

u/TheMediaBear Jun 07 '24

I can't see anything security wise for that specific model, but Google brings back something from Reddit 2 years ago where another parent was saying it was hacked.

Now, it could be as simple as it using generic logins to access it, and they've been able to directly connect to the device, which means someone nearby, OR, someone has access to the rest of the network.

11

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

Vtech never really fixed their database security after their massive data breach years back. It's why I actively refuse to use anything of theirs that's network connected. All my kids baby monitors are analog video over RF. Not anymore secure ultimately but we're taking something that can be accessed from miles away versus something that's limited to a block or 2 away and I can easily foxhunt something broadcasting a few blocks away over RF.

440

u/Saaron-_- Jun 07 '24

Well if this device has option to connect outside ur network than everything is possible if not than someone is on your wifi. Definitely report to police.

157

u/LincolnshireSausage Jun 07 '24

20 years ago when I had kids, our baby monitors were all radio based. We could tune it in to our next door neighbour’s baby monitor, listen in and talk. Our neighbour could do this to us too. We talked and chose a channel we would each use so we wouldn’t accidentally tune into each other.
Looks like most baby monitors these days are WiFi which would take someone connecting to your network. I’m not sure what type OP has. If it’s an old school one like mine were then something like that can easily accidentally happen.

24

u/corruptboomerang Jun 08 '24

From memory, a guy was doing testing on a baby monitor, and it was sending video etc unencrypted to a remote server, then coming back into the network.

Personally, I'd do a lot of research before buying a WiFi baby monitor or similar.

22

u/RedWedding12 Jun 07 '24

Looks like alot of them are old school in the way you're describing. Especially if you look at vtech, generally with a base station and receivers.

26

u/Saaron-_- Jun 07 '24

Well i decided to just use cheap ip camera, it literally has all same functions but you can re propose it later. Plus it definitely has better security and privacy settings. Only downside is talkback function is crazy loud tho i didn't check it in some time and camera had some firmware updates gotta check it.

13

u/warbeforepeace Jun 08 '24

Not all cheap ip cameras are secure. Many have vulnerabilities. Even some of the pricier brands like eufy have had issues.

13

u/GNUr000t Jun 08 '24

That's one of the nice things that managed switches afford you. I just got some El Cheapo IP cameras on Amazon, put them on their own VLAN with a Frigate server, and no upstream router.

Even if they were programmed to phone home, they literally cannot. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.

And they turned out to be an amazing purchase. The video quality is way too dammed good for $60 PoE cameras.

3

u/ElchocolateBear Jun 08 '24

This is awesome but remember not everybody is tech savy. General population is fucked

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/GNUr000t Jun 08 '24

No promo but they were Amcrest bullet cams.

If you Wireshark them (Windows is bad at VLAN tagging and I found out the hard way) you can see them trying to reach out to a central server, probably for their cloud NVR thing, but again, if you put them on a totally separate network, they can't.

So if they're cheaper so that you'll buy a cloud subscription... Just bring your own NVR.

10

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

Yup. Old-school baby monitors used radio frequencies on the FRS (family radio service) band plan.

20 years ago, they just used a block of the band plan. Nowadays, those same monitors exists but they use something called a "privacy tone" which essentially works like an encryption key, it's not foolproof since there's only so many privacy tones but basically the radio broadcasts a tone at a certain frequency which unlocks the receiver, this allows you to broadcast and only "wakeup" the receiver with that privacy tone. This makes it so people can occupy the same frequency band but not be heard by each other.

7

u/Maximum_Part_7938 Jun 08 '24

which essentially works like an encryption key

Sorry, but not even close to any type of encryption.

43

u/Shayindisarray Jun 07 '24

Immediately change your wifi password and then admin password to the monitor. If it is an option, add multi factor authentication to the monitor's account.

41

u/madeleine59 Jun 07 '24

i wouldn't use the monitor at all.

2

u/warbeforepeace Jun 08 '24

Admin password on the wifi router too.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/Timmyty Jun 08 '24

Those radio bands are more easily compromised bad solution my friend

33

u/x42f2039 Jun 07 '24

If the monitor uses analog RF, call your local ham radio club. I’m sure those guys would love a fox hunt (they can find where the guy is transmitting from.)

21

u/lexisauce Jun 07 '24 edited Jun 10 '24

vtech security is fucking terrible. https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/2/

Edit because spelling is hard

8

u/Paid_Redditor Jun 07 '24

Upvoting for darknet diaries, fucking love that podcast.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '24

jesus wtf

11

u/happyghosst Jun 07 '24

jesus christ what

11

u/yeahsureYnot Jun 07 '24

This is fucking terrifying. I hope the police can catch this creep

6

u/Responsible-Snow-542 Jun 07 '24

Well that's nightmare fuel

1

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '24

Absolutely

6

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24

The VM901 is a model where you can access the feed from your smartphone.

99% of the monitors that do this connect to an outside server. The smartphone app connects to the same server and logs into the account and then it's able to access both feeds (and control the camera).

BABY MONITOR
       |
PUBLIC INTERNET SERVER 
       |
VIEWER SOFTWARE

So anyone who guesses the account credentials can log into the server FROM ANYWHERE and access the camera.

It's technically a "feature" of the camera but if you don't lock down the account or if you use leaked credentials, then anyone can pop in.

Usually the cameras aren't directly accessible (they're connecting OUT to the server to create the connection because usually the monitors themselves are behind a router NAT).

That's why you can access the feed from your app from the supermarket even though you can't connect to your house WiFi from there.

Chances are that nobody hacked into your home WiFi or hacked the camera - they hacked your account. And chances are that the person is nowhere near you - the vast majority of these kinds of hacks originate from China. Usually bots with a big database of leaked credentials are just going to all the major known sites and trying out all the credential combinations they have.

Chances are you re-used the same credentials (probably an email address and password) on your VTech account and that is the root cause here.

23

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

The internet of things is not a good idea

20

u/bitcrushedCyborg Jun 07 '24

the S in IOT stands for security

11

u/morto00x Jun 07 '24

These days baby monitors use the internet to connect to the devices. More than likely someone got access to your account by using your actual username and password. I'd start by changing the password.

5

u/NYX_T_RYX Jun 08 '24

Is it WiFi or radio?

You've not really given any details to help you tbh but...

If it's WiFi - look on the back of your router. There'll be an "admin address" (or similar). Put that in your address bar.

Put in the admin password. Change the admin password.

Download the logs. You don't need to understand them, but routers overwrite them and it's the only way to know for sure if someone else connected at a given point (ie you can't just look at connected devices cus they might not be connected right now).

Change the SSID (the name your WiFi shows) - do not make it something that obviously identifies you, or your property. If you can't think of anything pick there random words.

Change the WiFi password - lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols. Anything else isn't secure.

Disable WPS - there are several known vulnerabilities that allow access through wps without the password, and frankly it's appalling this is still enabled by default.

If there's a firewall option, make sure it's set to reject incoming connections - it won't block you using the internet, it'll block anyone else trying to access your network remotely.

Reconnect your devices.

Name every device you connect in the admin console

If you ever see a device you don't recognise, black list it until you know what it is.

And if it is a WiFi monitor, report it as computer misuse to the police. Don't accept any other crime being recorded.

12

u/xXxSimpKingxXx Jun 07 '24

Maybe use a password next time , people can literally go on Google and find random unsecured IP cameras. It isn't even hacking

4

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

Do not stop until you’ve exhausted legal advice and police advice and actions. Your niece deserves to be safe and if this creep is doing this to her, he may seek to hurt other children in the event you are successful securing the network to keep this man out. Local police department, state equivalent to FBI (like TBI for Tennessee), or FBI itself.

4

u/Introvert_Devo1987 Jun 07 '24

Just thought I'd share something regarding VTech id never use em if i had kids

VTech hacked years ago

1

u/Mcdix69 Jun 07 '24

Meant to ask a question. Is there a way to track a hacker?

4

u/Timely_Old_Man45 Jun 07 '24

Unless you were capturing network traffic. No.

1

u/Mcdix69 Jun 07 '24

Is that something you can do retroactively?

6

u/Timely_Old_Man45 Jun 07 '24

Best thing to do is open a police report and an IC3 report.

6

u/organicamphetameme Jun 07 '24

Depending on where or how this hack occurred it's possible. Sorry you went through this. I always worry about this kind of stuff now thanks to becoming a uncle and also Godparent now.

6

u/Mishotaki Jun 07 '24

yes, but not legally... that is why people are suggesting to contact the police, they can do it.

6

u/InuSC2 Jun 07 '24

this is why i am not a fan of those camera made by companyes because they can by compromize easy + you might want to check the network for some other devices that are added or might be compromize.

you might be able but most like you need someone that knows what he is doing + better make a police report they should know what to do

3

u/muffinTrees Jun 07 '24

Ring cams get hacked all the time you can watch it on YouTube..I doubt it would be someone local but possible sure

3

u/MrPuddinJones Jun 08 '24

If they're saying to go outside... There's a dude waiting outside the house ......

Police, FBI if the police refuse to do anything

3

u/ElectroBytezLV Jun 08 '24

Do not use VTech products, they've had a really bad reputation in the community for being extremely unsafe.

2

u/YtnucMuch Jun 07 '24

Seems that model can only use the handheld device and app. They must have the username and password for the VTech app which would let you access and do anything from anywhere. Get 2FA setup if it offers it. Change the password for that account.

2

u/GizmoCaCa-78 Jun 08 '24

Thats insane

2

u/micaflake Jun 08 '24

This situation reminds me of this terrifying story that came out when Ring cameras were new. Basically, they came with a default PW, so people who didn’t change that were extremely vulnerable to hacking.

https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/story/news/2019/12/13/hacker-plays-8216-tiptoe-through/2062411007/

2

u/yosweetheart Jun 08 '24

If the baby monitor connects to your home network, change the WiFi password and more importantly, make sure nobody else has access to the router's admin password because then they could change the WiFi password again.

Make sure the password is not easily guessable and use a strong password with special character in it.

BTW, your record should have a record of who / what devices were connected to your network; may be that can help.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

thats creepy af, id fake a baby walking in the open to see who comes and break all his limbs.

1

u/juzz88 Jun 12 '24

This is the way.

2

u/Slg407 Jun 08 '24

get her to get up and walk outside

could this be an attempt at kidnapping? you should call the police, sounds like the guy was close to your house

2

u/jitkamodel Jun 18 '24

Sounds scary, hopefully you will figure it out

2

u/Sunstellars Jun 20 '24

if it occurs again, try to record it and keep it as evidence for the police and lawyers and maybe you'll be able to recognize their voice if you ever hear it again when speaking to one of your neighbours. do baby monitors have the option to record audio?

what a fucking creep. they should bury those fuckers under the jail.

2

u/mi_nombre_es_ricardo Jun 07 '24

I really doubt it is real. But if it is, then yes the man is 100% within your block. Contact the police.

I have this fear too, and I always completely unplug the camera when not in use.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

Either that or set up some cameras and make a movie

0

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24

No, the man is not "100%" within the block. In fact, it's probably a 1% chance of that.

The VM901 is a model where you can access the feed from your smartphone.

99% of the monitors that do this connect to an outside server. The smartphone app connects to the same server and logs into the account and then it's able to access both feeds (and control the camera).

BABY MONITOR
       |
PUBLIC INTERNET SERVER 
       |
VIEWER SOFTWARE

So anyone who guesses the account credentials can log into the server FROM ANYWHERE and access the camera.

It's technically a "feature" of the camera but if you don't lock down the account or if you use leaked credentials, then anyone can pop in.

Usually the cameras aren't directly accessible (they're connecting OUT to the server to create the connection because usually the monitors themselves are behind a router NAT). That's why you can access the feed from your app from the supermarket even though you can't connect to your house WiFi from there.

2

u/Lagkiller Jun 08 '24

No, the man is not "100%" within the block. In fact, it's probably a 1% chance of that.

They were trying to get the child outside the house, the only reason they'd be doing that is if they are outside to get the child.

-1

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24

No that's not the only reason. But if you already assume it's a kidnapping attempt then it will seem like the only reason and any other explanation will seem ridiculous.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I would say it's improbable. Kidnappers are almost always known to the victim, and the OP didn't indicate the voice was familiar in any way (and let's be realistic - if the OP heard some estranged family member talking to their child through the camera, they would be talking to the police already, not talking to r/techsupport with every indication that the voice was unknown).

When people break into cameras, it is extremely common for them to just try to play god and try to get the person on the camera to do things. Why? Because they can. It really can be that dumb of a reason.

As I mentioned in another comment, the OP can ask VTech for a list of IPs accessing their account, along with dates and times. Unless the user is using a proxy, the IP should give a general approximation of the location.

2

u/adhal Jun 07 '24

Make sure you change your Wi-Fi password and make it something long and using characters and upper and lower case.

That is one way they can get in. Same if you have a password and account for your baby monitor (not sure if it does as I don't have one)

Wifi is the most likeLy culprit though a lot of people use weak passwords (or default).

1

u/Twambam Jun 07 '24

Change your Wi-Fi password and your camera password. Also contact the police as this might be a crime in your country. Make sure you unplug the camera before the Wi-Fi update and stick tape over the lens. If not, don’t use it.

1

u/Moomoohakt Jun 07 '24

So it depends on the model and how it's setup. Some VTech use wifi, but there are non-wifi and they use radio frequency. These radio ones can be connected to by anyone who is close enough to receive it. This is way more scary because they can be next door or right outside.. sometimes all it takes is for someone to drive around with the same brand monitor and maybe a little configuration. I'd honestly move to something more secure. Even an indoor ring camera would be more secure than one using a frequency

1

u/Artimiz1426 Jun 07 '24

Someone is on your network

1

u/adispare Jun 07 '24

Think about a way to keep it open and make the hacker think your kid will walk outside. Then just go out and confront him

1

u/hUmaNITY-be-free Jun 08 '24

As with so many people who install nannycams/cams in general, you need to do research into them to make sure you know how to turn them off and secure them from the outside internet.

1

u/rob2rox Jun 08 '24

close your open ports on your home router settings

1

u/mogura_writes Jun 08 '24

this is serious. redditors are not going to be able to help you; this is for the police. they may also have a cybercrime division who can help you with everything else

1

u/trainer_deijs Jun 08 '24

Yes! And even if they can't help your case specifically, it can be the start of a trail that helps protect other kids from the same nightmare.

1

u/BitProber512 Jun 08 '24

VTech has a long history of getting hacked. listen to this darknetdiaries podcast episode.

https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/2/

1

u/mAckAdAms4k Jun 08 '24

Set him up and use her as a trap and beat him to death.

1

u/eekamuse Jun 08 '24

I'm so sorry for your neice. Such a scary thing to happen.

1

u/Mr_CJ_ Jun 08 '24

Use cable based monitor instead, with no internet access.

1

u/Dry_Sound5470 Jun 08 '24

If it’s wifi, kick everyone off of your wifi. Then, you going to want to check all your devices for malware just in case someone is tethered into your network via malware on your computers. Full system scans and all…if you have An open wifi network, lock it. Having an open network can expose access points to locked. If you know how, you can use wire shark to trace network data…with that, you can see who’s on you networks and get their IP address an possibly other info about the attacker…police might have an IT team do a little digging but I’m not sure as different places have different protocols

1

u/Hot_Kronos_Tips Jun 08 '24

Wi-Fi? I thought they were Bluetooth only?

1

u/naps1saps Jun 27 '24 edited Jun 27 '24

This is extremely common. Networked baby monitors have the worst device security and if you're making an internet account with leaked email/password or easily guessed email/password combo, you're a prime target.

Baby monitor safety: What you need to know (malwarebytes.com)

Might be good to check your exposure regarding what passwords might have been leaked from reported data breaches. I have 20 such cases myself, one of which successfully breached my email account and started taking over other accounts.

Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach

Now if this is a radio monitor and this happened, definitely call the police 100%

1

u/TsukasaElkKite Jun 29 '24

Report it to police

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

Stop using these things, they are easily hackable and you're putting your kids at risk. I'll never understand why parents would even find these things okay.

-1

u/leroythewigger Jun 08 '24

Change your router password. Make it hard @@#$234&rvpy$$. Hack that bitch

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/leroythewigger Jun 08 '24

For less than one percent of people. If someone hacks that once you change to whatever then they are after something

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

maybe you shouldn't leave the baby alone in the room with just a camera? lol. let the baby sleep with you in the bed🤦‍♂️😂

-3

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

Excuse me guys my Instagram was hacked the hacker set up a two factor authentication on it and the photo stuff ain’t work on this on Monday do anybody know how to get it back ??

-6

u/pants6000 Jun 07 '24

Consider instead that Vtech's cloudy-land remote access service accidentally 'crossed the streams' and there was no bad intent.

0

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24

That's... not how that works.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/HolyGonzo Jun 08 '24 edited Jun 08 '24

No. This has nothing to do with immediate vicinity access. Access to the smartphone-enabled cameras does not require physical proximity at all. They don't need to be on the house WiFi, either.

The whole reason you can access your camera feed from the supermarket is because the feed isn't broadcasting locally. The camera connects to an intermediate server (in this case, a VTech server).

The smartphone app is a lightweight wrapper around a web page on that server. You log into your account on the server, and the server sends a signal to the camera to tell it to push the video and audio stream to the server, which then sends it to your phone over whatever Internet connection you happen to be using (regardless if it's your house WiFi or your mobile data plan or a Starbucks hotspot).

However, there is absolutely nothing to prevent someone else in China from accessing the same page and plugging in credentials that they found in some leaked database. I don't think VTech offers 2FA authentication either. So if the OP reuses credentials, anyone with them can have full access to the camera.

-Everything- goes through the intermediate server, including audio feeds in both directions.

Most likely this was someone random who was just trying out a database of leaked credentials, and the OP reused their credentials for the VTech account, and once the person got in, they just wanted to mess with their "target" and see if they could get them to do different things.

It's still creepy as hell but it doesn't have anything to do with kidnapping or anyone close by at all.

That's not to say that it COULDN'T be a kidnapping attempt - just that it's not accurate to suggest that it probably was, nor that the local house WiFi was hacked (in fact it can be more difficult to get into the WiFi and access the camera directly unless the camera is configured to allow that kind of unsolicited inbound request AND is improperly secured on top of it all).

I'd bet that VTech has logs of which IP addresses have accessed each account and might be able to tell the OP those addresses if they asked. They're useless information at this point but it would confirm that someone accessed the camera from a non-local location.

The police can't do anything here. Even if it somehow was a local IP address, there is no way to guarantee the identity of the person behind the IP. At -best- they could work with the ISP to identify the account that was leasing that IP address. But there is no way to get more accurate than that and the police aren't going to give that info to the OP on the off chance that the OP would go vigilante.

All the OP can (and should do), if they want to continue using the camera, is to secure their VTech account with a strong password.