Amazon Ring Is the Latest Target of Notorious Ransomware Gang Ring has said there is no evidence of a breach, but one of its third-party vendors has been hit with ransomware.
By Madeline Garfinkle Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Ring, the digital security camera system owned by Amazon, might have been the latest target of ransomware group ALPHV, whose malware is also known as BlackCat.
A listing on ALPHV's site displays the Ring logo and the message "there's always an option to let us leak your data," Vice reported.
The ransomware gang, which launched in late 2021 and has been responsible for multiple hacks, posts recently hacked victims on a page of its site called "Collections," where it threatens to release data should the victims not pay up.
Ring told the outlet that despite the threat, there is no evidence that its systems were hit with a breach. However, it did mention that a third-party vendor for the company has been hit with ransomware, and Ring is working with it to learn more. It did not specify what the third-party vendor is but did say that it doesn't have access to customer records.
It remains unclear what data or information ALPHV may have obtained if the hacking did happen. But this isn't the first time Ring has been targeted by hackers.
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In 2019, hackers accessed Ring cameras all over the country using information obtained in previous hacks. In one particularly unsettling case, hackers accessed the camera of a Ring set up in the bedroom of three young girls in Tennessee and began speaking to the girls through the device's speakers. The hack was stopped quickly when their parents turned off the camera and added two-factor authentification, a security setting they hadn't set up before. Still, the hack presented new fears and opportunities for consumers and hackers, respectively.
Following the Tennessee incident and a slew of others, Ring increased security and added a privacy dashboard where users can easily manage their devices.
Though it hasn't been confirmed what — if any — data ALPHV has obtained, it might be time to change your Ring password to be safe.
Related: Apple to Roll Out First of Its Kind Technology to Protect Users from Hackers, Spyware
