Google fixes Nest Cam smart home security bug, report says
The bug reportedly let the former owner of a used Nest Indoor Cam access the new owner's video feed.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Apparently, used Nest Indoor Cams could be used for spying on new owners.
Google has reportedly fixed a bug that let former owners of used Nest cameras access security video feeds. The bug, spotted earlier by Wirecutter, occurred even when ex-users had factory-reset their Nest Indoor Cam before giving it to someone else.
Google is responsible for Nest and its smart home products after acquiring the company in 2014. It initially ran Nest as a separate business under Google parent company Alphabet, but Nest was then absorbed by Google early in 2018, and merged with Google's smart home division by July of that year.
The Nest Cam bug was originally discovered by a member of a Facebook group for Wink users, who realized he was able to access a feed of the new owner's Nest cam via his Wink account, Wirecutter's report said.
"We were recently made aware of an issue affecting some Nest cameras connected to third-party partner services via Works with Nest," a Google spokesperson told Wirecutter. "We've since rolled out a fix for this issue that will update automatically."
Wirecutter said it confirmed Google's fix by retesting the problem using a Nest Indoor Cam and a Wink Hub.
Google and Nest combined into a single smart home brand called Google Nest in May, with Google announcing the change at the Google I/O conference for developers.
Earlier this week, Google closed down the Nest website and integrated its smart home products into the Google Store. But you can still use the Nest site to sign in to an existing account, manage your Nest Aware subscriptions and view your Nest order history.
"Nest.com has moved to the Google Store," says the notice now on Nest.com. "Nest and Google Home have joined together as Google Nest. Moving forward, you can learn about and buy all Nest products in one place: the Google Store."
At the moment, the only products carrying the new Google Nest name are the Google Nest Hub Max, a smart display with a 10-inch screen and camera, and the Google Home Hub, Google's original smart display . The Google Home Hub is now called the Google Nest Hub. Google is expected to rebrand other products as well.
Other products available in the combined store include the Nest Hub Max , Nest Hub, Google Home, Google Home Mini, Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Hello Doorbell, Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor and Chromecast Ultra.
First published at 1:51 p.m. PT on June 20.
Updated at 4:12 p.m. PT: originally published under the headline: "Google fixes Nest Cam bug that let ex-owners of used devices see video, report says"
