Ring Hacks, Privacy Concerns Prompt Lawsuits

Last Updated on February 19, 2024

Investigation Complete

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.

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At A Glance

This Alert Affects:
Anyone who owns a Ring home security device.
What’s Going On?
Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed alleging that Ring has failed to implement “even the most basic” security measures to protect its customers. Now, attorneys working with ClassAction.org are interested in filing a lawsuit of their own, but first need to hear from people who own the security cameras.
How Could a Class Action Help?
A lawsuit could force Ring to put stronger safeguards in place to protect users’ privacy and award money to those who own the devices.

Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against Ring LLC following reports of hackers infiltrating the company’s camera systems and terrorizing homeowners and their children.

The suit accuses the company of refusing to put in place “even the most basic” security precautions, failing to deliver the “peace of mind” it promised consumers and blaming users for its shortcomings.

Lawsuits: Ring Cameras Hacked Due to “Fatal Flaws”

Ring has been accused of selling “fatally flawed” security cameras that have left customers vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Specifically, the suits claim the cameras cannot ensure the safety of customers’ accounts – and therefore their homes – due to Ring’s failure to:

  • Require two-factor authentication
  • Double check whether someone logging in from an unknown IP address is the actual account owner
  • Provide a way for users to check to see if more than one person is logged in at a time
  • Offer protection against hackers that use “brute force” to unlock accounts

Ring has failed to provide these standard protections even though it is aware, one lawsuit contends, of hacking forums and podcasts dedicated to infiltrating Ring devices.

It has also been alleged that even non-security businesses such as Netflix and Gmail have these protections in place.

How Could a Class Action Help?

If successful, the lawsuits could force Ring to resolve its privacy issues to ensure users’ accounts and devices are safe.

Further, a successful case could award money for:

  • The cost of replacement cameras
  • The cost of additional surveillance and security services
  • Time spent monitoring and addressing any fallout from fraud or identity theft linked to camera hacking

Reports of Ring Customers Spied on by Hackers

The lawsuits filed against Ring include several stories of customers who had their security cameras infiltrated by hackers. A summary of these instances can be read below.

  • A hacker taunted a Connecticut woman telling her to “come here” after infiltrating multiple cameras in her home.
  • A family in Cape Coral was subjected to racial slurs by a hacker who got into their Ring camera.
  • An 8-year-old girl was harassed by a hacker who got into her bedroom camera and told her he was Santa Claus.
  • A Texas couple were told they would be “terminated” if they didn’t give a Ring hacker $350,000 in Bitcoin.
  • A 13-year-old boy was spied on by a hacker who followed him throughout the house via multiple Ring cameras.

Instead of taking responsibility for these widely publicized incidents, Ring has shifted the blame onto users for having weak passwords that had previously been compromised, the suits claim.

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