Three companies that distribute Eufy home security cameras agreed to a $450,000 settlement for failing to secure consumers’ videos, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday, Jan. 28.
The companies – Fantasia Trading LLC, Power Mobile Life LLC, and Smart Innovation LCC – were plagued with troubling data security vulnerabilities, making them accessible to anyone with the relevant link, even without authentication, the investigation found.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) began looking into the companies in November 2022 following a report from a security researcher that raised questions about the cameras' marketed claims of “end-to-end encryption.”
Investigators found that video streams from eufy-branded products, including video doorbells and smart locks, were not always encrypted as advertised, and in some cases, entirely unencrypted. This left consumers’ private home security footage vulnerable to unauthorized access, James’ office said.
“New Yorkers buy home security cameras to protect themselves and their homes,” James said. “The eufy cameras’ poor data security allowed anyone to access people’s security camera footage, defeating the purpose of having a home security system.
"Today, my office is taking steps to ensure eufy cameras’ developers improve their data security so that New Yorkers' home security footage is private and protected.”
As part of the settlement, the companies will not only pay $450,000 in penalties and costs but also implement significant changes to their security protocols. Among them is maintaining a comprehensive information security program, conducting regular vulnerability testing, and ensuring video streams are properly encrypted both in storage and during transmission.
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