Smart Crooks: Burglars Are Using Wi-Fi Jammers to Disable Home Security Cameras

A sophisticated burglary ring operating in Edina, Minnesota, is using Wi-Fi jammers to knock out connected home security cameras before stealing valuables from residences.

A recent report from Toms Hardware explains that police in Edina, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, believe that a series of nine burglaries over the past six months have been carried out using Wi-Fi jammers to disable security cameras. The burglars are thought to target expensive homes when unoccupied, deploying the jammers to prevent incriminating video footage from being captured during the crimes by popular consumer-grade wireless camera systems.

According to local news outlet KARE11, the burglars make off with “safes, jewelry, and other high-end designer items.” A security expert explained that the jammers do not fully block wireless signals, but overload traffic to obstruct real connections. While the sale and use of jammers is illegal in the U.S., they can be purchased online for as little as $40.

Reports of burglars utilizing Wi-Fi jammers have become more frequent in recent years. In 2020, some Ring doorbell owners reported their devices being disabled by deauthentication attacks during porch thefts. With the proliferation of smart home devices and wireless security cameras, it has become an easy and affordable technique for tech-savvy thieves.

Homeowners concerned about the vulnerability of wireless security systems do have some options. Physically connecting certain devices via ethernet could bypass jamming and smart home automation that creates the illusion that homeowners are at the residence can also deter burglars. Users should also check if their devices can send alerts when wireless connections are lost.

But the Edina case illustrates that wireless home tech continues to have weaknesses that criminals are learning to exploit. As more adopt these insecure devices, incidents of jammer-assisted burglary will likely rise nationwide.

Read more at Toms Hardware here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.