Nest warns customers to shore up password security

Nest, the Google-owned smart home company, is warning its customers to tighten up their password security to prevent cameras and other in-home devices from being compromised.

Nest sent the email warning to all of its users on Wednesday following an incident in Northern California where a family’s security camera was accessed by someone who had obtained their password.

The company emphasized that its security system had not been breached, but that users could still be vulnerable if they didn’t take precautions with their passwords.

{mosads}“For context, even though Nest was not breached, customers may be vulnerable because their email addresses and passwords are freely available on the internet,” Nest wrote to its customers. “If a website is compromised, it’s possible for someone to gain access to user email addresses and passwords, and from there, gain access to any accounts that use the same login credentials.”

Last month, a family in Orinda, Calif., heard a warning of an impending missile attack from North Korea blaring over their Nest security camera. The company later said that the family’s password information for another website had been compromised.

Nest is advising its customers to use a two-factor verification login process and to create strong passwords that are only used for their Nest account. The company also cautioned users to keep their home WiFi software up to date and to be alert for phishing emails.

“It’s a great responsibility to be welcomed into your home, and we’re committed to keeping you and your Nest devices safe,” the email to customers reads.