Google Nest Cam (battery, G3AL9)

Google Nest Cam (battery, G3AL9)
Security Grade B Calculator v1	Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), model G3AL9 Brand: Google Nest Category: Security camera • Model / Gen: 1st battery generation G3AL9 Release Date: 2021-08-05 • Status: In sale Classification Date: 2026-10-30 • Official Website

Security Evaluation

1. Device Security

Criterion	Value	Proof	Comment
Known hardware tampering	Rare	[1] 🔗 Proof	IP54 enclosure, wall-mount screws with a security loop, secure boot and no user-removable storage; physical tampering requires sustained contact. Rare is an exposure judgment.
Known vulnerabilities	Rare	[2] 🔗 Proof	CVE-2024-44097 (improper TLS server certificate validation in nest_cam_battery_firmware before 1.73c) and CVE-2023-45853 (zlib EoP) are documented in the September 2024 Nest Security Bulletin and fixed in firmware 1.73c; this assessment uses 1.73c or later.
Prior attacks	Rare	🔗 Proof	Cisco Talos TALOS-2019-0797 concerns the older Nest Cam IQ Indoor Weave pairing stack, a different product line; no in-the-wild campaign is attributed to the 2021 battery Nest Cam. Prior attacks is platform-level history.
Updatability	Very common	[3] 🔗 Proof	Automatic OTA updates; Google commits to at least five years of critical security updates from the 2021-08-24 release date (through 2026-08-24), and published multiple security bulletins in 2022–2024.
Category Score	Score: 2 / 3

2. System Security

Criterion	Value	Proof	Comment
Authentication with other systems	Partial	[4] 🔗 Proof	Device is bound to a Google Account and the Home app; it supports Works with Nest / Device Access integrations, but the assessed profile does not enable local mutual cryptographic authentication beyond the Google cloud channel.
Communications	Encrypted with up-to-date encryption	🔗 Proof	Official spec lists 128-bit AES encryption with TLS/SSL, secure boot, and WPA3 support; the assessed profile uses the default encrypted cloud channel.
Storage	No encryption	[5] 🔗 Proof	Event clips are stored in the Google cloud under the user's account (encrypted in transit and at rest on Google infrastructure); on-device ML runs locally but there is no user-accessible local storage and Google does not publish a per-partition flash encryption claim, so Partial.
Category Score	Score: 2 / 3

3. User Authentication

Criterion	Value	Proof	Comment
Account management	Full	🔗 Proof	Home app manages home members, device sharing, removal and per-device permissions; requires a Google Account.
Authentication	Basic	🔗 Proof	Access is via Google Account sign-in in the Home app; the assessed profile does not enable optional 2-Step Verification on the Google Account, so Basic rather than Secure.
Brute-force protection	Basic	🔗 Proof	The camera exposes no local password prompt; protection relies on Google Account sign-in throttling and risk-based detection. With optional 2FA not enabled in this profile, Basic.
Event logging	Access event logged	🔗 Proof	Home app records event-based video history with timestamps and motion/person alerts; users can review clips.
Passwords	Require change after setup with complexity requirements	🔗 Proof	Setup requires signing into an existing Google Account or creating a new one under Google's password policy; the camera has no hard-coded default password.
Category Score	Score: 2 / 3

Technical Specifications

Property	Details
Operating System & App	Nest camera firmware; assessment: firmware 1.73c or later (September 2024 security bulletin) (Companion App: Google Home app (Android/iOS))
Hardware (CPU / GPU)	CPU: • GPU:
Memory & Storage	Memory: • Storage: On-device machine learning; up to 3 hours of event-based video history in the Google cloud (included); no user-removable local storage
Power, Battery & Charging	Battery: Built-in rechargeable 6 Ah, 3.65 V lithium-ion • Power: 7.5 W USB-A power adapter (included); 1 m indoor charging cable • Charging: Proprietary magnetic connector; 0–40 °C charging temperature range
Display & Camera	Display: RGB status LED • Camera: 1/2.8" 2-megapixel sensor; up to 1080p@30 HDR; 130° diagonal FOV; 6× digital zoom; 6× 850 nm IR LEDs, up to 6.1 m night vision
Sound & Connectivity	Sound: High-quality speaker and microphone; full-duplex two-way audio with noise cancellation • Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi; Bluetooth Low Energy; WEP/WPA/WPA2/WPA3; IP54 weather resistant
Physical (Dimensions & Mass)	Dimensions: 83 × 83 mm (Ø8.3 cm) • Mass: 398 g (14.04 oz)

Documentation-based security assessment: Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), model G3AL9. Reviewed 2026-10-24.

Documentation-based assessment of a defined Nest Cam (battery) profile. The camera is set up through the Google Home app on iOS/Android and bound to a single Google Account; the Google Account uses a password under Google's complexity policy but optional 2-Step Verification is not enabled in this profile. The default encrypted cloud channel (128-bit AES with TLS/SSL, secure boot, OTA updates) is used; 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with WPA2/WPA3 and BLE pairing are enabled. On-device machine learning is used for person/motion detection; no local recording to removable media is configured. Included 3-hour cloud event history is used; no Nest Aware subscription is declared. These are the explicitly selected conditions of this document assessment, not a claim about factory defaults or an inspected physical unit.

Ratings map documented capabilities and the stated configuration to WikiIoT choices. Rare is a qualitative assessment of documented bounded exposure/history, not a measured frequency. Prior attacks is explicitly platform-level history; TALOS-2019-0797 concerns the older Nest Cam IQ Indoor Weave stack, not the 2021 battery camera. Optional capabilities (e.g. 2FA, Nest Aware continuous recording) are not treated as enabled unless the assessment configuration states so. Historical CVEs do not imply that the selected patched firmware remains vulnerable.

Release-date scope: 2021-08-05, the date stated in the body of the Google The Keyword launch announcement; Google's security-support table lists retail availability as 2021-08-24, which is not asserted to be the earliest worldwide retail date.

Historical vulnerability: CVE-2024-44097 (improper TLS server certificate validation in nest_cam_battery_firmware before 1.73c; CVSS 9.8 by CISA-ADP). CVE-2023-45853 (zlib elevation of privilege, High). Both are listed in the Nest Security Bulletin of September 2024 and fixed in firmware 1.73c; this assessment uses firmware 1.73c or later.

No physical device was tested. Keep the configuration and evidence scope with the ratings.

References: Google The Keyword — new Nest cams and doorbells, 2021-08-05 Google The Keyword — 11 things about new Nest Cam and Doorbell Google Store — Nest Cam (battery) tech specs Google — Nest security updates and five-year support window Nest Security Bulletin — September 2024, firmware 1.73c NVD — CVE-2024-44097 Nest Cam battery TLS validation Cisco Talos — TALOS-2019-0797 Nest Cam IQ Indoor Weave Google Developers — Nest Cam (battery) Device Access WikiIoT methodology