We increasingly see more articles in the newspapers and online about vulnerabilities of certain surveillance cameras and systems such as smart doorbells. These are becoming easy targets for hackers to gain access to and be able to monitor you, your private life and your business.
With this in mind, we take a look at the risks of cybersecurity for surveillance systems and how secure Hikivision is against these threats.
The Threats of Cybersecurity
An online attack on your system is a cyberattack and can come in many different ways, here are some examples of how hackers gain access to CCTV cameras and their systems:
Default password access
Anyone can try to gain access to a CCTV system by looking for its IP address and then obtaining the signature information from a engine such as shadon. The security of the devices should protect them from such attempts but where some hackers gain access is through a default password that has not been changed since it was set in the factory, such as 12345. Default passwords should always be changed once you have set up your system to stop hackers from gaining access to your network.
Brute Force
This method uses a software to make repeated guesses at your passwords, it will try thousands of combinations to try and guess the correct password and gain access to this system. For this reason, it is important passwords are not easy to input such as dog123, passwords should be complicated and not easy to replicate.
Spoof Attacks
A spoof attack is where a hacker will try and connect to the network by disguising as a trusted device, hoping to trick the system and gain access to the network and from here they can take control of the network.
Backdoor Attack
The problem with technology is it is not always perfect and this is where backdoor attacks take advantage. A backdoor attack searches for vulnerabilities in systems that will compromise their security and then a hacker will look to gain access through that vulnerability.
Smart Doorbells are a Hacker’s Easy Target
Smart doorbells have increased in popularity over the last few years and have become the most sold doorbells on amazon, people automatically trust them and believe them to be secure, however, smart doorbells are becoming very easy for hackers to get into and access information about you!
The watchdog tested 11 devices last year and found a number of common security flaws including weak password policies and lack of data encryption. The test further went on to find out that some of the devices allowed hackers to gain access to the whole network and thus gain access to other devices on the network (BBC Technology).
Amazon’s Ring Smart Doorbell Store and Records Information
Not only is hacking becoming an increasing issue with smart doorbells but also the data that smart doorbells, specifically the Ring doorbell, are recording has come under scrutiny. Details were released via a data request made by the BBC (Amazon’s Ring logs every doorbell press and app action). This disclosed that a lot of information was being gathered by Amazon including every interaction, the mobile phone used and the network used.
The amount of information that is being stored is worrying some privacy experts as they believe it may give too much insight into our lives. Privacy expert Frederike Kaltheuner commented;
“What’s most interesting is not just the data itself, but all the patterns and insights that can be learned from it,” (Amazon’s Ring logs every doorbell press and app action).
Hikvision’s Security Against Hackers
Hikivision is a leading brand in the CCTV industry one of the largest manufacturers of surveillance systems. Hikvision has one of the best records for security in the CCTV market, this can be checked on the CVE, this is an international list of cybersecurity vulnerabilities where you can look up Hikivision compared to their competitors and see vulnerabilities and how transparent they are compared to their competitors.
Like with all technology companies there have been some vulnerabilities but these have all be fixed as soon as the company has been made aware of them. Many of the criticism you will find on Hikvison products actually come from their American competitors who actually have more vulnerabilities for cyberattacks or simply do not document vulnerabilities in a transparent way.
Hikivison is constantly updating its software to keep its products safe and secure so that they are one step ahead of hackers who search for vulnerabilities in CCTV systems.
Hikivsion’s cameras are trusted by the industry and were also designated as a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA), this is held by brands such as Apple, Adobe and Google. This position is only given to responsible companies who show transparency and resolve issues quickly and effectively.
Free Secure CCTV Installation Advice
If you need help and advice on installing CCTV at your commercial premises that has the most up to date protection again cybersecurity call our team directly on 01492 547997 or send us an email to [email protected] and we will be happy to offer free CCTV advice.
