Maker of budget-friendly doorbell cameras fixes security issues that left users vulnerable to spying

The Eken Group has reportedly released a firmware update to address major security issues with its cheap doorbell cameras that were discovered by a Consumer Reports investigation earlier this year. The cameras in question are bundled with the Aiwit app and are sold under numerous brands, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf. During its tests, the watchdog found that the unencrypted cameras could expose sensitive information such as home IP addresses and Wi-Fi networks, and allows third parties to access images from a camera's feed using its serial number. NOW, Consumer Reports says the issues have been resolved – just make sure to update your devices.

Devices from these brands should now reflect a firmware version 2.4.1 or higher, which would indicate that they have received the update. Consumer Reports says its own samples received the update automatically, but it can't hurt to double-check your settings in a risk-aware way (that is, if you haven't already thrown out the cameras). The post states that the update is confirmed to fix security issues. Eken also said Consumer Reports that the two doorbell cameras it had given the “Do Not Buy” label – the Eken Smart Video Doorbell and the Tuck Sharkpop Doorbell Camera – have been discontinued.

These doorbell cameras, which were sold on popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Walmart and Temu but appear to have since been removed, also lacked the proper labeling required by the FCC. The company said Consumer Reports it will add these identifiers to new products in the future. Following its testing of the update, Consumer Reports has removed warning labels from its dashboards.