Does your Airbnb have a hidden camera?

Travel always involves risk. We were taught to fear pickpockets and contaminated alcohol, and to avoid lukewarm street meats. A recent viral post on TikTok reminds travelers of another potential threat: hidden cameras.

The video comes from Marcus Hutchins, a British hacker perhaps best known for stopping the spread of a global computer virus. He has amassed nearly 240,000 followers for posting videos about bypassing firewalls and hacking keyless cars.

His video on detecting hidden cameras in hotels and Airbnbs details different ways someone could set up secret recording devices around a normal bedroom.

“Take this fire alarm for example, it’s placed right above the bed,” Hutchins said in the video. “Now one way to see if the device is a camera is to shine a bright light on it. If you hit a camera lens, it’s going to have a bluish reflection.”

Hutchins told The Washington Post via email that he had never encountered hidden cameras while traveling, but a few commentators said it had happened to them. As for whether he’s using the techniques himself, “I’m only checking if I suspect there might be cameras,” Hutchins said.

The post, which now has 3 million likes, is disconcerting. But how concerned should we be about hidden cameras in our homes? Should we check every room we stay in when we travel? We asked security experts.

“There are so many other things that pose bigger threats than cameras,” said Michael O’Rourke, managing director of Advanced Operational Concepts, a global security consultancy that performs security assessment and management. travel risks.

Airbnb declined to comment on the TikTok, but said incidents involving hidden cameras are rare.

However, it happens.

For example, in 2019, South Korean police discovered cameras inside TV boxes, wall outlets and hairdryer stands that had livestreamed around 1,600 guests to their hotel rooms. Later that year, a couple filed a lawsuit against a San Diego Airbnb owner who allegedly hid cameras in small holes in the bathroom and bedroom ceiling. The examples continue.

There are exceptions, however, when cameras inside a vacation rental might make sense, such as if a landlord wants to protect their property from criminal activity, says Kenneth Bombace, managing director of Global Threat Solutions, an investigation and intelligence company that offers travel protection. services.

Due to the proliferation of personal surveillance, companies like Airbnb and VRBO have rules for guests and hosts about when recording devices are appropriate.

In an Airbnb “Community Standards” section regarding security, it states that: “You must not spy on other people; cameras are not allowed in your listing unless they are first disclosed and visible. , and they are never permitted in private spaces (such as bathrooms or sleeping areas).”

“And by the way, it’s not just for the host,” Bombace said. “They also have rules regarding guests who have placed cameras recording their host.”

Airbnb encourages guests to read Airbnb listings for details about security cameras located at a property.

If you’re concerned about your privacy while traveling – even if the risks of voyeurism are low – here’s advice from security experts on what you can do to protect yourself.

Do a “common sense” scan of your home

Upon arrival at your accommodation, Bombace recommends following what it calls “common sense procedures” in private spaces, such as the bedroom and bathroom. He says to watch out for smoke detectors, radios, sockets and flashing lights.

When O’Rourke arrives at his hotel room or vacation rental, he begins by unplugging the bedside alarm and putting it in a drawer, or throwing a towel over it. Then, “the places to worry about, especially in a hotel, are anything that would have a view of the bed or a view of the bathroom,” he said.

O’Rourke also covers all peepholes in doors and throws a towel at the bottom of exterior-facing doors to prevent cameras under the door.

In Hutchins’ video, he recommends shining a light on all surfaces to expose things invisible to the naked eye, like a hidden camera inside an alarm clock or a one-way mirror.

Hutchins also says travelers can turn off the lights in their room and use their smartphone’s front-facing camera to scan for infrared LEDs used in night vision cameras. If you want to test the trick before your travels, O’Rourke says you can practice on your TV remote.

Jeremy Prout, director of security solutions at medical and travel security firm International SOS, is wary of such tactics. If you are not trained in Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM), your chances of successfully finding infrared clues are low.

“And if you see something, how do you know it’s right?” said Prout.

His advice to travelers is to assess the room from your “opponent’s” point of view. As O’Rourke also suggested, do a quick scan of private areas for the best line of sight and angles that a voyeur would be interested in, then look for any small holes or objects that look out of place. Are there two smoke detectors on the bedroom ceiling? Is a clock radio oddly located?

Scan Wi-Fi networks for suspicious devices

A family discovered a hidden camera in their Airbnb in Ireland when father Andrew Barker connected his phone to wifi and saw a device labeled “IP camera”.

Barker has since written a blog post detailing how he used Network Scanner and Network Mapper to discover the hidden camera. He also recommends using tools like Angry IP Scanner to find suspicious devices connected to a home’s wifi. Fing is another app to get the job done.

Prout says it’s good to understand what’s going on on a host’s network, but it’s not foolproof. A host may have changed the name of their camera or may not have a camera connected to wifi in the first place.

O’Rourke thinks the average traveler may not have the technical knowledge to benefit from this technique, but there’s no harm in trying.

Disable wifi completely

Thomas Ham, founder of professional firm TSCM Spy Catchers, told Fox31 Denver that travelers can choose to turn off an accommodation’s wifi and router upon arrival. If the host calls you about the issue, you can ask if there are any cameras in the property that weren’t disclosed in the listing.

Prout makes no effort to make changes to the piece. If you scan the room for infrared cameras or put electrical tape over cameras, “that’s a lot for me,” he says.

As for disabling wifi, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go so far as to tip to see if there’s an internal camera,” Prout said. Your host may need Wi-Fi to operate a leaked front door camera to protect packages or ensure guests are following the terms of their rental agreement (no parties, do not bring pets, etc.). If you’re staying in a shared Airbnb, turning off the wifi won’t be an option either.

Practice Situational Awareness

If you’re concerned about privacy and security on your travels, Prout recommends choosing accommodation with more care to begin with, saving yourself at least a bit of stress. Avoid vacation rentals that have no reviews.

“Look who stayed there before, what the feedback is,” he said. “If you’re in the boat of having these concerns, you want to stay at an Airbnb that has a lot of stays historically.”

Prout says that in general, situational awareness is key. Remember to look up from your phone and pay attention to anything that’s wrong. This can be difficult when traveling when you are unfamiliar with your surroundings.

“We always have to be aware that our baseline is degraded because we’re in a new place,” Prout said. “We don’t see these anomalies as often as we should.”

O’Rourke says he’s used to following his standard operating procedures for accommodation security whenever he travels, even if he’s not in a particularly threatening environment. This is part of developing and maintaining a muscle memory for situational awareness.

“It’s not paranoia; it’s relaxed alertness,” he said.

The Washington Post

See also: A family finds a hidden camera in their Airbnb