Security Researchers: Baby Monitors Prone to Hacking

With the help of Jeffrey Zwirn, the security firm Rapid7 has discovered common security flaws with nine Internet-connected baby video monitors. For example, the Philips brand assigns the same default username and password to its monitoring cameras, meaning an uninitiated system could be hacked into. As a result of the findings, Philips plans to address its products’ vulnerabilities. Jeff Zwirn, who pens the “Security Science” column, was on Fox News discussing baby video monitoring hacking vulnerabilities. Read more about Rapid7's research and check out the video where Zwirn offers the safest alternatives for baby monitors by clicking here.

Today’s Forensic Tips: Verifying Fire Alarms

Verifying Fire Alarms

Consider this scenario: You are knowingly or unknowingly provided with a cellphone number for a residential subscriber and the remote station receives a fire alarm signal. The central station operator then calls the subscriber (cellphone rather than home number) in an attempt to verify the signal. The operator is told by the subscriber not to dispatch the fire department and/or to disregard the signal, but in actuality the client is not at home. This could pose a risk to the alarm company and/or central station for taking that instruction, even though they thought the phone number called was located at the protected premises.

Additionally, alarm companies and/or central stations should proactively warn the subscriber upfront and in writing that if the subscriber is not at home, it would never be acceptable for the subscriber to advise the central station to cancel or disregard any fire alarm signal it receives.

Test your security knowledge and learn some more tips from Jeffrey Zwirnd by heading over to SecuritySales.com

What’s Wrong with This Installation?

Head on over to http://goo.gl/hvyq8y and let Jeffrey Zwirn help you figure it out!

What’s wrong with this installation? The end of line resistors (EOLR) installed in improper locations within the control panel set on both the normally open and normally closed protective loop circuits. The control panel set is not electrically grounded and the telephone line within the control panel set is t-tapped. The wiring is terminated within the control.

Security Speaking with Jeff Zwirn

Security Sales & Integration hosts "Security Speaking," a weekly podcast featuring the industry’s leading business owners, operators, managers and subject matter experts discussing the trends, challenges, technologies and more affecting today’s electronic security professional. Scott Goldfine, Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration, sat down with Jeffrey Zwirn, president of IDS Research and Development, an alarm and security consultation, expert witness and training authority. Here, they discussed the legal implications alarm companies face as a result of installation, some of the most common errors installing and monitoring system, how owners/operators can elevate industry professionalism and more.

Click here to follow the link to listen to this podcast or to download.

This Woman Lost Her Life Due To The Carelessness Of An Alarm Company

A bloodthirsty man invaded a small-town Minnesota home in 2006 and took the lives of his former girlfriend and her companion. The murderer was able to accomplish the break-in and move through the house undetected. Fearing for her life for some time, the victim had recently purchased a customized security system worth several thousand dollars in hopes of gaining early detection of her stalker’s presence should he attempt a home invasion. The system included an inside siren, an outside siren, motion detection, panic alarm, two keypad sounders, an outside strobe light, perimeter system and more, all of which would activate at the same time, once the system detected an intruder.

Sadly, when the attacker did come for her, the system failed catastrophically. The nationally-based alarm company that set up her system was found to have recklessly breached its responsibilities by failing to design, install and test a system that was supposed to be customized for early detection of an intruder.

The investigation was led by forensic alarm industry expert and president of Teaneck, N.J.-based IDS Research and Development Inc., Jeffrey Zwirn. Zwirn determined the company recklessly breached its duties to its customer. While the alarm company did ultimately come to an out of court settlement years later for an undisclosed sum, thought to be many millions of dollars, those lives are lost due to some as simple as a faulty system.

 The carelessness of an alarm company cost this woman her life. Read more here to avoid a tragedy like this in your life.

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