topic Re: Is my camera hacked ? in Arlo Pro 2

Is my camera hacked ?

Concernedmum123 — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 12:46:21 GMT

Hi I noticed that my Arlo 2, the red infrared lights randomly flashed at night. Does that mean someone was watching live ? Because no one from my family was logged in. Should I be concerned ? Is there another reason for this ? Thanks

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

jguerdat — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 14:22:13 GMT

When does this happen and how often? Is the camera armed? Are you using activity zones?

It's very unlikely that the cameras are hacked. Of course, your account could be if not using a strong password. Make sure you're using 2FA (2 factor authentication) to lock down your account.

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

StephenB — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 17:25:04 GMT

@Concernedmum123 wrote:

Hi I noticed that my Arlo 2, the red infrared lights randomly flashed at night.

Does the spotlight come on when the camera detects motion? Or is it set to use NightVision (no spotlight)?

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

Concernedmum123 — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 01:39:59 GMT

my daughter said its been happening overnight a few times, i just thought it needs those lights to see in the dark but I was in her room and it had been dark for a while then suddenly the red lights came on and stayed on for a while. I checked with my other cameras and their red lights came on when I logged in to see the cameras live. The camera wasnt armed and we werent using activity zones and it was using night vision - is there a log or anything where we can see if someone has logged into the app to view the cameras? Is logging into the app the only way people can view our cameras?

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

StephenB — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 11:48:02 GMT

@Concernedmum123 wrote:

Is logging into the app the only way people can view our cameras?

Either the app or my.arlo.com.

One thing you could do is change the account password.

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

jguerdat — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 13:46:23 GMT

More detail as to the time(s) that this occurs would still be useful. FWIW, it appears that all Arlo cameras "activate" during the night (not really activating, just waking up) to possibly be able to check for firmware updates, etc. I have numerous videos caused by a camera turning on its night vision, whether IR or spot/floodlight, being captured by another nearby camera. The videos show only a brief lighting up of the light, perhaps a second or less, after which nothing else is seen in the recording.

I don't know why the lights must be turned on unless it's just an artifact of it being dark.

Re: Is my camera hacked ?

StephenB — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:56:33 GMT

@StephenB wrote:

@Concernedmum123 wrote:

Is logging into the app the only way people can view our cameras?

Either the app or my.arlo.com.

One thing you could do is change the account password.

Another test would be to disarm the camera, and see if the behavior stops.