Arlo and Blink cameras are boosting security to beat hackers

Owners of both Arlo and Blink camera systems have been notified recently of required changes to their accounts meant to enhance security. Arlo users will be required to turn on two-factor authentication by the end of the year, while Amazon’s Blink is still taking baby steps towards enabling 2FA. The changes follow the much-publicized hacking of Amazon’s Ring security cameras in December that allowed strangers to peer into homes and harass occupants.

Arlo users had the option to enable two-step verification since last year. But a message sent to owners now says that two-step verification will be required by the end of 2020, according to Android Police. Arlo’s FAQ says that logins can be verified via push notification to a previously trusted device, or through SMS messages and emails. Unfortunately, Arlo won’t initially be supporting the more secure choices of authenticator apps or physical tokens.

Owners of low-cost, battery-powered Blink cameras received emails recently telling them that 2FA was on the way, but owners first have to verify their email addresses starting on March 30th. Some time after that, Blink says it will introduce 2FA. Given the issues Amazon had with Ring, you’d think this other Amazon-owned camera company would be a bit more aggressive with its timeline.