Re: Reolink — encryption?

Have you ever wondered why your Reolink account doesn't incorporate 2-factor authentication that sends a verification code to your phone via SMS? This additional step is essential to security and should be required for every new log-in to your account or device and for any changes being made, such as adding a device, changing the password for the device, changing your account password, etc. This is a very basic second layer of security that would make the Reolink cameras and accounts more secure. Also important, owners should have access to their device's IP address and be able to view any recent activity that occurs with the device from any source. As it is, users are only given partial IP addresses for their device/s through the mobile app and the Recent Security Activity section only shows the device's interactions as they occur with the device the owner is using to operate it. These are two major flaws in the security for the cameras and accounts. There are a few more.

I go with my feelings.
Is it really right to sell cameras that can't actually be used for security purposes as "security cameras"? No. Yet Reolink has a huge website, uses the word "security" in their cameras descriptions, and seems to sell a lot of the devices to people who are mainly wanting to monitor wildlife activity in remote outdoor areas. None of us seem to want to call attention to it. Why? Why not stop charging people for any and all criminal acts and just leave behaviours and conduct up to the individual consciences?

From my perspective, a security camera should provide some level of security and in this effect, deter crime. Under these premises, a simple sign in your window or yard should do the trick for much less, right? Mine came with stickers. The recording of activity in an area to deter trespassing, vandalism, and yes, theft, is the main reason most people purchase security cameras and devices. The state of our world is not good right now and there's no correlation between that and the sales of devices like these that leave so many gaps in security the word shouldn't be used in either the titles or descriptions. People are accepting it. Perhaps we are all waiting and hoping that the cameras will eventually evolve as promised and Reolink will upgrade and make improvements that will secure our accounts and cameras from random hacking by anyone with password cracking tools and a little bit of knowledge.

The solution is simple: If people STOP buying the cameras and touting them as good and great as they are, Reolink would either make the necessary changes or go under as a company. People are buying them and not only are they accepting it, but they are also apparently willing to whitewash it. These people may have their own motivations for doing this or, they just haven't experienced any problems with their cameras, also entirely possible. I sense that many of those in the community are aware of problems with the security of the cameras but aren't mentioning the exact problems in any detail.

A word to the wise: Just because you haven't had problems with hacking doesn't mean you won't, and the fact that you haven't had problems has nothing to do with the reliability of the Reolink cameras as security cameras. The fact remains that the cameras can be hacked quite easily by people who are not rocket scientists, and they are easily accessed by others using software/apps designed to crack users' passwords and log-ins for the cameras and accounts. This is what really matters.

Hate to rain on your rant, but ya know what is also bad? People breaking into your house or business because they think they'll never get caught. Know what deters a lot of them? Security cameras. Want proof? Show your insurance that you have a security system, and you will get a discount on your premiums. M<y discount has more than paid off my system over 8 years of owning my home.

Is it a security risk? Yes. But the security risk is mostly in whether or not they can access your server or PC's, encrypt them, and use them for ransomware attacks. By having a strong password, and having the auto-timeout set, the majority of hackers will not bother. Most people don't have anything watchable to hack into, unless they are a celebrity. Pretty sure someone in Russia or China is not going to get their jollies by looking at my yard! But to be really secure, just air gap it; keep your Reolink separate from everything else in your house or business. Then it is just your router and IoT devices that are hackable. Now those are the bigger issues to guard, probably.