As it happens, baby monitor hacking is back in the news. According Dan Goodin of ARS Technica, a security researcher by name of Nitesh Dhanjani (ironically the same researcher I mentioned in the original baby monitor hack story who discovered a vulnerability in a popular LED lighting system), has come up with a proof-of-concept attack on a wireless Belkin baby monitor, showing how it can be turned into an 'iPhone/iPad-controlled bugging device'.
"The ease if connecting is no doubt intended to be one of the selling points of the WeMo monitor. But its lack of password authentication can just as easily be viewed as a liability since it exposes users to surreptitious monitoring by baby sitters, former spouses, or anyone else who even once manages to get on the home network. The only way to be sure that the device is locked down is to continually check the monitor's settings panel to ensure no unrecognized devices are connected to it."
Here is the video demonstration from the story:
Dhanjani also found weaknesses in other Belkin products, but company support representatives, much in the same way Phillips had responded to his findings of the lighting system vulnerabilities, said that the baby monitor was 'no more insecure than ayn other computing device, at least when users follow standard security procedures.'
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these potentially-scary vulnerabilities and the companies' responses. You can read the full story by clicking the aforementioned ARS Technica link .