Hacking video surveillance: 5 reasons + 3 ways of protection

When CCTV went online, it became vulnerable. This was the impetus for increasing the cybersecurity of IP cameras. This article will tell you why cybercriminals need to hack into video surveillance and how to deal with it.

Why video surveillance is hacked? 5 reasons

Camera manufacturers, if they save on the work of programmers and hardware, endanger their customers. Cheap devices turn out to be limited in computing resources and have significant problems in the security mechanism.

As a result, attackers can easily hack CCTV cameras for their reasons.

Video Streaming / Pampering

The most harmless reason for hacking, but no less unpleasant, is the usual viewing of a video stream. Hackers do not use the received data for evil purposes but only watch your life. But the question of your data further usage is always open.

Such situations happen when buying cheap, used cameras or devices from unknown manufacturers. Read the article “9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy Video Surveillance on AliExpress,” to understand the reasons behind it.

Concealment of offense

Surveillance cameras are used not only at home but also in business and at government bodies. An offense can be recorded on a device installed outdoors.

To hide it, an attacker can hack the camera and delete all records.

Commercial use of footage

Most often,  video camera data is used to extort money. The attacker receives footage of private life and blackmails the owner, asking in return for a large sum of money.

Mining

The most obscure reason for hacking surveillance cameras is cryptocurrency mining. For example, IBM X-Force employees discovered a Trojan virus equipped with a bitcoin mining module.

Intermediate for further attacks

Do hackers always steal access to video surveillance just for the sake of hacking? Sometimes this is an intermediate stage in a further plan. For example, from cameras, you can see important passwords or storage locations for valuables and papers.

Methods to combat camera hacking

To avoid video surveillance kive complications, you need to think in advance about protecting information from cyberattacks. And in addition to the methods listed in the previous link, there are also methods to combat intruders:

• buy new cameras in stores of trusted major manufacturers, do not use preloved devices;
• use a computer that is connected to the surveillance system only for the operational purposes of monitoring the facility;
• switch to video monitoring based on cloud storage of information.

Cloud service Faceter is remote storage of information from cameras on a server, which is almost impossible to hack. The user’s password is not stored in the cloud, so it will not be possible to access it.

All information from recording devices can be viewed in the Faceter mobile application. Access to it is protected by a pin code, which is known only to the user. The cloud service is additionally automatically updated, improving and strengthening monitoring protection.

Conclusion

Surveillance cameras must be reliably protected from hacker attacks. Otherwise, the system will bring more harm to the user than good. Not to worry about the security of information, use modern cloud video surveillance, e.g., Faceter.