Parents say they’re being spied on as baby monitor hacked

Baby monitors being hacked by criminals and spies have Australian parents panicking after a Sydney mother claimed one of her cameras was being externally controlled.

However, the manufacturer of the device in question assures customers that it is simply a glitch in the software.

‘After I changed her nappy, I sat down to start feeding her and the camera turned and focused straight on us,’ Emma McCarthy told 7News.

The McCarthy parents are  ‘uncomfortable’ that someone could be spying on their family

Ms McCarthy and her husband Zac are convinced that their monitor has been hacked.

‘We’re very uncomfortable knowing that someone could potentially be watching our daughter,’ she said.

Security and Privacy expert Professor Bill Caelli emphasised that security and privacy were not considered when baby monitors were designed and constructed.

Security and Privacy expert Professor Bill Caelli  recommends checking for security features

Home networks can be searched for vulnerable devices by an outside search engines, and baby monitors do fall into the ‘vulnerable’ category.

If hackers do manage to gain access to a device, they are able to control it externally.

Mr McCarthy claimed that their baby monitor could track movement through their child’s room during the night.

However, their camera was not connected to the internet, which led manufacturer UniDen to conclude that it was a glitch rather than a hack.

But they remain unconvinced.

A Perth family with the same brand of monitor have also come forward claiming to have had an experience similar to the McCarthy’s.

Parents fear that their baby monitors can be hacked and their families are being watched