Video Doorbell Theft on the Rise in US, Capture Thieves in Action

Who would have thought video doorbells would become so popular? Maybe it’s the reassuring thought that, no matter where they are, homeowners will know who has visited them or lurked around their home. Some doorbells are even equipped with facial recognition software, and most provide high-quality resolution images.

In the past year, people in the US have grown more knowledgeable about video doorbells, which has led to “the fourth highest adoption rate among smart home products in the US market, with very high growth potential in 2019,” according to research from Parks Associates.

“One-quarter of broadband households report intention to purchase a smart video doorbell in the next 12 months,” said Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates.

But one odd event has started taking place in locations across the US. Besides home owners, criminals have also apparently become more interested in video doorbells, and thefts are on the rise, writes Digital Trends. So far, homeowners in Las Vegas, Denver, Sacramento, Nashville and Miramar have fallen victim and the attacks don’t seem to stop.

Both Ring and Nest cameras were stolen, and the companies advise customers to immediately report the event to law enforcement. The police are doubtful the suspects will be identified based on the footage, so they recommend keeping a note of the serial number and an eye on online marketplaces.

The major problem is that video doorbells function like any other IoT device – once hacked, they can be manipulated to take part in large-scale DDoS attacks carried out by IoT botnets. Apart from this, data security is also a concern. Video doorbells capture biometrics from anyone ringing the bell, and since there is no policy around this, hackers can explore them as much as they like.

This also raises privacy concerns, as people ringing the doorbell might not know the camera is filming them. Sure, this will prove useful in this particular case as the doorbells are most likely recording the culprits. But what else might manufacturers do with all the biometric data collected?