There's no doubt smart devices are making our lives simpler. Our cell phones are always glued to our hands, Alexa's wealth of knowledge is at our beck and call, and security devices have become so sophisticated, we see and communicate with people in our homes without being there ourselves.

However, the "smarter" our lives are getting, the more our privacy is at risk from hackers.

Evidence of this comes in the form of chilling footage of a hacker spying on and talking to an eight-year-old girl as she played in her bedroom.

Ashley LeMay, from Tennessee, set up the Ring security camera in her young daughter's bedroom in an effort to increase her safety. However, the camera had the opposite effect, as just four-days in, a cyber crook had managed to hack the system, and not only spied on LeMay's daughter, but also communicated with her, claiming to be Santa Claus.

Speaking to NBC News, Ashley revealed that she bought the gadget in a Black Friday sale and installed it as a means on keeping an eye on her three daughters.

But the device proved to be an incredible violation of her daughters' safety, after a man suddenly started talking to her eight-year-old, Alyssa, via the gadget. As well as claiming to be her "friend" Santa Claus, he played music through the device and encouraged her to smash her television.

The mother told NBC: "[Hackers] could have watched them sleeping, changing. I mean they could have seen all kinds of things."

In the recorded video footage, Alyssa can be seen standing in her room, asking: "Who is that?"

A man responds that he's her "best friend." The terrified Alyssa then screams for her mother.

Ring is currently owned by Amazon, and make a range of smart home devices. These particular security cameras can be connected to the owner's smartphones via an app. The devices also utilize speakers and a microphone, so people can communicate through them.

However, due to the fact these devices are connected to the internet, it means it is possible for criminals to remotely hack the Ring device. Anybody who gains access to your username and password can also use the device.

In a statement to NBC News, Ring has said: "While we are still investigating this issue and are taking appropriate steps to protect our devices based on our investigation, we are able to confirm this incident is in no way related to a breach or compromise of Ring’s security."

There's no doubt smart devices are making our lives simpler. Our cell phones are always glued to our hands, Alexa's wealth of knowledge is at our beck and call, and security devices have become so sophisticated, we see and communicate with people in our homes without being there ourselves.

However, the "smarter" our lives are getting, the more our privacy is at risk from hackers.

Evidence of this comes in the form of chilling footage of a hacker spying on and talking to an eight-year-old girl as she played in her bedroom.

Ashley LeMay, from Tennessee, set up the Ring security camera in her young daughter's bedroom in an effort to increase her safety. However, the camera had the opposite effect, as just four-days in, a cyber crook had managed to hack the system, and not only spied on LeMay's daughter, but also communicated with her, claiming to be Santa Claus.

Speaking to NBC News, Ashley revealed that she bought the gadget in a Black Friday sale and installed it as a means on keeping an eye on her three daughters.

But the device proved to be an incredible violation of her daughters' safety, after a man suddenly started talking to her eight-year-old, Alyssa, via the gadget. As well as claiming to be her "friend" Santa Claus, he played music through the device and encouraged her to smash her television.

The mother told NBC: "[Hackers] could have watched them sleeping, changing. I mean they could have seen all kinds of things."

In the recorded video footage, Alyssa can be seen standing in her room, asking: "Who is that?"

A man responds that he's her "best friend." The terrified Alyssa then screams for her mother.

Ring is currently owned by Amazon, and make a range of smart home devices. These particular security cameras can be connected to the owner's smartphones via an app. The devices also utilize speakers and a microphone, so people can communicate through them.

However, due to the fact these devices are connected to the internet, it means it is possible for criminals to remotely hack the Ring device. Anybody who gains access to your username and password can also use the device.

In a statement to NBC News, Ring has said: "While we are still investigating this issue and are taking appropriate steps to protect our devices based on our investigation, we are able to confirm this incident is in no way related to a breach or compromise of Ring’s security."