US: Man harasses eight-year-old by hacking Ring security camera

A man reportedly gained access to the Ring security camera of a Mississippi family and used the speaker feature to harass an eight-year-old, telling her he was Santa Claus and encouraging her to destroy the room. According to an international media outlet, Ashley LeMay installed the camera in her daughter's room for her 'peace of mind' and so that she could watch over her children while she works overnight. The incident took place four days after LeMay installed the security camera. 

The camera footage obtained by an international media outlet shows the eight-year-old standing in her room while a mysterious song plays over the camera's speaker. As soon as the music stops, a man's voice fills her room. 'Hello there', a man's voice said. Further adding 'I'm your best friend. I'm Santa Claus'. The unidentified man reportedly continued to harass the girl, taunting her and encouraging her to destroy the room.

While talking to media, LeMay said that the man was able to interact with their daughter after hacking into the security camera. A spokesperson for Ring Security Camera reportedly said that the incident is no way related to a breach or compromise of Ring Security. The spokesperson further added that the bad actors behind the attacks often re-use credentials stolen or leaked from the service on other services. 

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3 similar incidents in past week

According to reports, there were at least three incidents in the past week involving Ring devices. A father in Nebraska recently heard a voice talking to his daughter through the Ring camera on their kitchen counter. While talking to media, the father said that he immediately unplugged the device and called Ring, who later told him that a third-part device had logged into his account. In another case, an Atlanta woman was in her bed when she heard a man's voice, yelling that he could see her and demanding that she wake up. Similarly, in Florida, a Cape Coral couple was reportedly harassed by a person over their Ring camera who apparently made racist comments about their biracial family. 

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