Wyze, a popular home security provider, is currently under fire after inadvertently showing customers live footage of other people's houses, possibly violating privacy rules.
The company revealed that during a service outage with its cloud partner AWS, "some users" were able to temporarily access other customers' cameras.
Wyze, at first, reported that only 14 reports of the issue had been made. However, it later admitted that more than 13,000 customers were affected by the security breach.
At least 1,504 users were reported to have accessed thumbnails belonging to other users.
Wyze blamed the security breach on a "third-party caching client library" that caused its app to experience "unprecedented load conditions" due to devices simultaneously coming back online.
All affected users have since been notified and advised to add a new layer of verification to address the issues.
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Wyze Security Issues: Not the First Time
Last week's incident was not the first time Wyze was involved in a major security controversy affecting thousands of users.
In 2019, Wyze suffered a data breach where personal information from 2.4 million customers worldwide was leaked to the public.
According to Twelve Security, the company that first noted the breach, Wyze's database was left exposed to bad actors from Dec. 4 to Dec. 26.
Despite its past security issues, Wyze serves over 10 million customers worldwide, offering affordable smart cameras priced as low as $20.
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How to Protect Private Space from Smart Camera Breach
While the recent security issue was entirely on Wyze's part, customers can still take steps to prevent breaches of their privacy.
Upgrading Wi-Fi security settings, using a firewall, and enabling two-factor authentication can improve privacy safety from hackers.
It is also advisable to consider upgrading to smart cameras from more trusted brands like Ring, Nest, and Eufy, which offer more reliable security features, albeit at a higher price.
