• Home camera maker Ring and parent company Amazon have been sued in federal court in California over claims that they failed to protect users’ privacy and security.
• The lawsuit alleges that, as a manufacturer of security products, Ring failed to meet its “most basic obligation by not ensuring its Wi-Fi enabled cameras were protected against cyber-attack.”
• It also argues that Ring and Amazon sought to avoid responsibility by blaming users for not implementing proper security measures despite knowing the risks of not requiring things like two-factor authentication.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Home security camera maker Ring and parent company Amazon are facing a lawsuit in federal court that claims that they failed to implement proper security measures in their products, leaving users vulnerable to cyberattacks.

“A company that provides security devices for one’s home needs to have a heightened focus on ensuring those devices are actually secure,” John Yanchunis, the attorney bringing the suit, told Business Insider, adding that “all indication is that the security is lax on these machines.”

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Central District of California, and first reported on by TMZ, alleges that by not ensuring the cameras protected users’ security, Ring and Amazon are guilty of negligence, invasion of privacy, breach of the implied warranty, breach of the implied contract, unjust enrichment, and violation of the unfair competition law.

Alabama resident John Baker Orange, the plaintiff in the case, bought a Ring camera in July 2019, which he installed over his garage. Earlier this month, when his three children were playing basketball in the driveway, a hacker accessed the camera’s two-way speaker system and began talking to the children, encouraging them to come closer to the camera, according to the lawsuit.

Ring has come under fire in recent weeks for security breaches including a case where a hacker was able to gain control of a Ring camera in a child’s bedroom. The company attributed the breaches to poor password security in the accounts hacked, and said that the users did not have two-factor authentication enabled. Ring does not require two-factor authentication on accounts, though the company said it planned to make security improvements.

In a statement to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Ring declined to comment, saying that the company does not comment on legal matters.

Do you own a Ring camera and have experienced security concerns, or do you work at Ring and have more information about this story? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected], encrypted messaging app Signal at (+1) 503-319-3213 using a non-work device, or Twitter DM at @TylerSonnemaker.