Anker Innovations' products had problems, and more than 700 user information was leaked

Recently, there was a problem with Eufy brand products under Anker Innovations, and hundreds of user information was leaked. Many foreign media reported this. Eufy urgently fixed the bug and apologized for it.

Anker's products had problems, 712 users' information was leaked

It is well known to sellers in the industry that Anker Innovations' well-known brands include Anker, Soundcore, Eufy , Nebula , etc. Among them, the smart home brand Eufy is divided into four categories: cleaning, intelligent control, health and lighting. Specific products include sweeping robots, voice control assistants, smart scales and smart light bulbs.

According to recent reports from foreign media, an abnormal bug has occurred in Eufy's home security camera. The official APP actually allows users to access other people's account information and watch other people's previously recorded content and real-time videos.

Not only that, some users also found that they could control other users' cameras by moving and zooming. Fortunately, before causing more serious problems, E ufy said the company has fixed this software bug.

(Photo source: CNET report)

Eufy spokesman Bryan Saxton said the problem began during a server upgrade just before 2 a.m. Pacific Time (5 a.m. Eastern Time) on Monday. Eufy's engineering team became aware of the issue around 2:30 a.m. and fixed it by 3:30 a.m.

The bug was first discovered by Eufy's customers in Australia and New Zealand, and soon after, its US users began complaining about similar problems.

Bryan Saxton confirmed that the issue was limited to the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, and that European users were not affected. He noted that Eufy baby monitors, smart locks, alarm systems and pet care products were not affected.

A 9to5Mac staff member confirmed that his Eufy account also seemed to have been mistakenly logged into someone else's account, and was able to access other users' details, recorded content , and live video streams. However, after the user logged out and logged in again, the software was restored to normal access.

Eufy said that a total of 712 users' accounts were exposed to other users before the problem was resolved. It did not elaborate on what caused the bug.

Eufy has issued statements on Facebook and Twitter in which the brand insisted that only a "limited number" of users in seven countries were able to see each other's EufyCam videos.

(Image source: Facebook)

Eufy apologizes, foreign media says it's hard for the brand to attract new buyers

After the product had safety issues, Eufy made an emergency repair.

Although Eufy urgently fixed the issue, the company recommends users in affected countries to take two precautionary steps: first, unplug the Eufy Secure Home Base from the power outlet and reconnect it; second, log out of the Eufy mobile app and then log in again.

Subsequently, Eufy apologized to customers for the bug. "As a security company, we are sorry that we didn't do a good enough job in this regard. We are developing new security protocols and measures to ensure that this will not happen again." Bryan Saxton said.

Some of these new agreements include :

Upgrade Eufy's network architecture and enhance its two-way authentication mechanism;

Upgrade Eufy's servers to increase processing power;

Introduce a dedicated privacy information management system, or obtain PIMS certification.

According to Saxton, Eufy's customer service team has attempted to contact all affected customers.

Foreign media mentioned in the report that although it is a good thing that Eufy apologized again for the privacy breach, the brand still has a lot of work to do in regaining the trust of shaken users, not to mention attracting new buyers.

It is worth noting that Anker Innovations mentioned in the compliance statement released on its official website: "As a leading global manufacturer and marketer of smart electronic products, Anker Innovations has always attached great importance to cybersecurity and data protection and taken its corresponding responsibilities seriously, and will comply with applicable cybersecurity and data privacy protection laws in various jurisdictions around the world. We will monitor and manage employees' and partners' access to sensitive information and private data to prevent certain individuals or organizations from using it for malicious purposes."

(Image source: Anker Innovations official website)

The user data leakage incident of Eufy this time obviously exceeded people's expectations.

Although the bug has been fixed, Eufy obviously needs to work harder on security, and it will take some time for the confidence of buyers affected by this incident to recover.

Anker Innovations increases investment in smart home sector

Anker Innovations' products mainly include three series: charging, wireless audio, and smart innovation. The smart innovation category mainly includes Eufy brand smart home products and smart home security products, as well as Nebula brand home projectors and other new product categories.

Last year, its smart innovation category achieved operating revenue of 3.059 billion yuan, an increase of 102.63% compared with the same period in 2019, accounting for 32.71% of Anker Innovations' total operating revenue, an increase of more than 10 percentage points from the same period last year, making it a dark horse category.

In the first quarter of this year, Anker Innovations' revenue was 2.426 billion yuan, an increase of 57.94% over the same period last year; the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company in the first quarter was 204.4 million yuan, an increase of 47.27% over the same period last year. During this period, its three major products, including smart innovation, also maintained a good development momentum.

In April , Anker Innovations plans to increase its capital in Shenzhen Zhiyan Technology Co., Ltd. by RMB 40 million.

Zhiyan Technology has 6 million loyal users and specializes in the research and development of smart home products and optimization of upstream and downstream supply chains. Its smart hardware brand Govee continues to maintain a very high market share on the Amazon platform, with a compound growth rate of more than 300% for three consecutive years. This investment may bring certain investment returns to Anker Innovations and expand its layout in the smart home field.

Listed in the top 50 Chinese global brands for 5 consecutive years

As the leader in cross-border e-commerce, Anker Innovations has strong strength, a high reputation in the industry, and is highly praised by fellow sellers.

Previously, Marketplace Pulse ranked the number of user reviews on all third-party stores on Amazon worldwide, and found that Anker Innovations' official store has consistently ranked second in the U.S. market, fifth in Germany, Japan, and Canada, and ninth in the U.K. market.

  Last week, the 2021 BrandZ Top 50 Chinese Global Brands list was released. Anker has been on the list for five consecutive years, ranking 13th. Its brand power increased by 26%, ranking fourth in the entire list in terms of brand power growth rate.

(Image from Anker Innovations)

After years of hard work, Anker Innovations has established a high level of brand awareness and loyalty in the global consumer electronics market and formed a relatively stable group of loyal users.

On YouTube, hundreds of anchor channels have released video review reports on Anker Innovations products. Compared with 2019, the search indexes of brands such as Anker, Eufy, and Soundcore on the Google platform in 2020 increased by 156%, 700%, and 235% year-on-year, respectively, showing a gratifying growth trend.