Feds allege two men hacked into Ring cameras to livestream swattings

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The Ring Camera for your home or business is meant to be a security measure, not a terror show broadcast to millions. This month, two people from different parts of the country were charged with hacking into Ring video doorbells, running over residents (a fake call to law enforcement that led to a SWAT team showing up at the home of a innocent person) and broadcast the events on social networks. media.

Let’s break this terrible form of “entertainment” because it’s a lot, and it’s terrifying.

James McCarthy of South Carolina and Kya Nelson of Wisconsin have been charged with broadcasting swatting events online, according to the US Department of Justice in California.

McCarty, who was in Arizona at the time of the crimes, was charged with one count of conspiracy to intentionally access computers without authorization. Nelson was charged with two counts of intentional access to a computer without authorization and two counts of aggravated impersonation. These are all federal charges.

So how did they pull this off? The pair allegedly accessed individuals’ Yahoo accounts via stolen usernames and passwords. They would then search email to see who had Ring cameras and access them remotely through the individuals email.

They would then crush the house. Swatting involves intentionally misrepresenting a crime that is happening in a home in order to have it raided by local police, especially allegations that require a SWAT team to show up armed.

Innocent and unsuspecting individuals would then be subject to armed police measures while they investigate the call.

All the while, authorities allege McCarty and Nelson were streaming this live on social media via the victims’ Ring cameras. Thousands of people watched, unaware of the innocence of the victims of any crime, and apparently the couple mocked the police during the event.

The Justice Department said the indictment relates to several similar crashes in Flat Rock, Michigan; Redding, California; Billings, Montana; Decatur, Georgia; Chesapeake, Virginia; Rosenberg, Texas; Oxnard, California; Darien, Ill.; Huntsville, Alabama; North Port, Florida; and Katy, Texas.

If convicted, they would both potentially serve up to 5 years in federal prison.

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