‘Reset’ Nest Cams Could Still Send Video to Previous Owners

Google is in the process of bringing more Nest operations in-house, and it can’t happen too soon. Nest has been hit with several security and privacy glitches lately, and the latest one might be the most severe yet. Users of the Nest Cam report that factory resetting the camera before giving it away doesn’t always prevent the previous owner from viewing the feed.

After setting up a Nest security camera, it’s tied to your account. Only you (and anyone who has your password) can view that feed. However, Nest also has the “Works with Nest” system that ties the products into other services. Nest users responded angrily when Google recently announced that Works with Nest would be going away, but maybe that’s a good thing. The third-party integrations are responsible for the new privacy breach.

It would appear that resetting the camera doesn’t properly sever the Works with Nest link. The Nest app itself can’t connect to the reset camera or access any of its advanced features. However, the Wink app does get a feed of still frames captured every few seconds. It’s unclear if this issue only affects the standard 1080p Nest Cam or if the company’s newer cameras like the Nest Hello doorbell and Indoor Cam IQ have the same flaw.

Google has now responded to the reports, saying that it has identified the issue, and it has an update rolling out now to address it. Customers don’t have to do anything on their end, thankfully. Google’s ultimate fix is to deactivate Works with Nest completely. The feature is expected to go offline in the coming weeks. In its place, Google suggests users try the Assistant features of Nest, which are less powerful but more under Google’s control. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, given recent events.