How To Keep Your Smart Devices Hacker-Proof This Holiday Season

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Many of us will be giving or receiving smart home devices this holiday season -- but many of those devices are vulnerable to hackers if you don't take steps to protect yourself.

WCCO sat down with a cyber-security expert who showed us just how easy it is for the wrong person to gain access to your personal information through your smart devices.

A hack recently made national headlines: A stranger virtually breaking his way in to this little girl's bedroom

It's something cyber security expert Ryan Cloutier says could easily happen to you.

"This is something that anyone can get to," Cloutier said. "We want to be careful who else is looking into our home."

To demonstrate just how simple it is, Cloutier's friend gained access to the home camera pointed right at us during the interview.

Cloutier says a weak or reused password can leave smart home cameras vulnerable.

"When I set up the account for this smart camera, all I needed to do to invite another person to have viewing rights was to send an email," Cloutier said.

Sending that link to the wrong email can give a stranger access.

"It really is about our privacy being at risk, which in turn puts our safety at risk, as well as our financial information," Cloutier said.

So if you unwrap a smart device this season, what can you do to protect yourself?

"By simply checking those privacy settings, not reusing passwords you've already used before, and checking for updates, you're going to be a lot less at risk this holiday season," he said.

Cloutier recommends muting your smart speakers when they're not in use. And disable the microphone or camera capability on devices if you don't need it.

"In a pinch, a piece of electrical tape works great," Cloutier said.

With 2020 just around the corner, smart homes are a reality. But if you take the right steps, that device of your dreams won't turn into a security nightmare.

"The balance is about convenience versus risk," he said.

As for the monitoring device from in the nursey breach, Ring sent a notification to users saying it was not breached. It urges several safety precautions, including two-factor authentication, and different passwords for each account