Nest security camera hack causes panic for Orinda family

ORINDA, Calif. (KGO) -- A home security camera hack caused sheer panic for a family in Orinda.

That fear then turned to anger, once they discovered what the security camera company knew all along.

Laura Lyons recalled the scare to ABC7 News media partner, the East Bay Times, "It came on like emergency sounds of an amber alert and then a man's voice announce that North Korea had launched three intercontinental ballistic missiles towards the United States and the United States had launched a counter attack, recommended that everyone take shelter."

She heard that apocalyptic warning on Sunday. Lyons realized it was coming from her Nest security camera and prepared the family to evacuate. Her scared eight-year-old son hid under the rug.

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"We went down the rabbit hole," she said. "Yeah. Terrifying."

Lyons called 911 and Nest and found out it was a prank. Her camera was likely hacked.

"We're curious to know why we didn't get any notification." Lyons said, "It could have really prevented us from experiencing a tremendous amount of anxiety and more importantly our poor 8-year-old you know scared to death. "

Google owns Nest and told the East Bay Times that Nest was not breached, rather some customers' passwords were exposed through breaches on other websites.

Google says two-factor verification typically eliminates that risk.