Targeted by hackers: how to protect yourself from hacking video cameras and ensure your privacy

[Father]

On the one hand, video surveillance cameras are designed to increase the level of security and control, but on the other hand, they are vulnerable to intruders and can pose a threat to their owners. Cybersecurity experts told Cyber Media how cybercriminals gain access to cameras, what it threatens companies and individuals, and how to protect their devices from hacking.

Why and who is being hacked​

Often hackers break into cameras not for the purpose of some kind of profit, but for fun. At the same time, it is usually not difficult for even the most experienced hacker to gain access to the device — all you need is an Internet connection and some knowledge.

Ekaterina Starostina
Director of Business Development, Webmonitorex
Attackers can gain access to video cameras through vulnerabilities in network settings, weak passwords, using outdated software versions, or through phishing attacks.

Hackers can get the video from any device that has a camera:

• security cameras;
• web cameras;
• phone or computer cameras;
• smart device cameras;

Due to the simplicity of the mechanics, even minors can access the camera for the sake of interest, fun, or a portion of popularity on the Internet.

Anton Morozov
Head of Information Security Development at MAKSOFT LLC,
In fact, it is not difficult to get access to a video surveillance camera, because their owners rarely change the default passwords set in production, and this is most often 123456, 00000 or 111111. The second point is that an attacker gets into the system using well-known device vulnerabilities or sends you a Trojan in a phishing link. In fact, there are full-fledged guides on hacking cameras on the Internet, which list the necessary programs, query forms for finding cameras with vulnerabilities.

Videos recorded from hacked video cameras are uploaded to various paid and free sites on the Internet. Sometimes video from cameras is leaked by employees of companies that have access to them. For example, a picture from Venezuela, which was made by the iRobot Roomba J7 robot vacuum cleaner, became famous on the Internet. He took a picture of his hostess during a visit to the bathroom, and then the company's employees, who carried out labeling of photo and video data, leaked the photo to the network.

In another scandal involving the leaking of photos and videos, Tesla was involved. According to Reuters, employees of the organization shared photos and videos from other people's cars with each other. Some of the materials were intimate in nature, while others contained scenes of an accident.

In addition to entertainment, hackers can also have quite self-serving goals.

Ruslan Suleymanov
Strategic Director for IT, Products and Services at Pro32
Hacking a video surveillance system is most often not a targeted attack and takes place in an automated mode of scanning and selecting passwords/exploits by default, often "just for fun" — just to show that"I can watch what is happening on the cameras — I'm a cool hacker".
Much less frequent are targeted attacks and break-ins of video surveillance systems for some more malicious actions, for example, to delete some records from the video surveillance archive, or to plan a robbery, or to obtain data for blackmail. Most often, household IP cameras and video surveillance systems connected to the Internet, which are used by ordinary citizens, are automatically hacked and create botnets based on them, which are used to organize DDoS attacks on some resources.

In 2017, unknown hackers infected the city's video surveillance system in Washington with malware. The attackers demanded a ransom, but US law enforcement agencies managed to restore the cameras themselves.

How video cameras are hacked​

There are several ways to access the video camera. Basically, attackers use software vulnerabilities, the selection of a weak or default password, and physical access to the system.

Sergey Polunin
Head of the Security Group for infrastructure IT solutions at Gazinformservis
In short, you can gain access through application software vulnerabilities. But there is a difference between the camera in an employee's laptop and the camera that is used for video surveillance in the office. A typical scenario for gaining access to a laptop camera is downloading a virus to the user's computer, which allows them to manage it remotely and also receive data from the webcam. Provided that the camera, of course, is not sealed, as everyone recommends.
With video surveillance cameras, everything is somewhat different: you need to either use a vulnerability in this particular IP camera, or choose a password if the interface for administration is available remotely. And this happens quite often, plus often administrators do not change the default passwords and access to such a camera is noticeably easier.

If attackers intend to break into a particular company, their actions will be more targeted and complex. In addition to the usual search for vulnerabilities and password guessing, they can use various methods, including social engineering.

Ruslan Suleymanov
Strategic Director for IT, Products and Services at Pro32
Most often, attackers use automatic scanning of the network for the presence of cameras in it. After finding the device that is a camera, it is determined what kind of camera it is. Then, a standard login/password for access is used, which is configured by the hardware manufacturer and often does not change by the user.
If the attempt is unsuccessful, then methods of exploiting known vulnerabilities for this type of camera are used because very often ordinary camera users forget that they need to regularly update the camera software to eliminate known vulnerabilities.
If this does not help, then if there is no targeted order for hacking this particular user and this particular camera, the attackers stop trying. If the order is targeted, then various methods are used, ranging from attempts to brute-force passwords, to exotic methods of social engineering.

Here it is necessary to remind that hacking devices and spying on private life is not harmless entertainment, but a violation of the law. Therefore, despite the fact that it is easy to find information and guides on the Internet for the query "how to hack a video surveillance camera", you should not do this.

Consequences of hacking video cameras​

Hacking video cameras in the homes of individuals can be not only unpleasant, but also pose a threat to life, health and have serious consequences. For example, a resident of the Moscow region found videos taken in her apartment on one of the Chinese paid sites. The incident occurred after buying and installing an inexpensive Chinese camera in the room on AliExpress.

A few years ago in the United States, hackers broke into cameras in the homes of Americans, which they installed in children's rooms or living rooms to monitor children. When the parents were not in the room, the attacker turned on the camera microphone and introduced himself as Santa Claus or a fairy-tale character. Having aroused the confidence of the kids, the prankster convinced them to break things and make a mess in the house.

In some of the cases described, children were simply afraid of an unknown voice, were afraid to fall asleep in the room, told their parents about what had happened, but adults did not believe them, writing off the "voices" on the rich imagination or whims of the child.

When attackers gain access to a company's video surveillance cameras or system, the organization can suffer serious financial and reputational losses, up to complete ruin.

Kai Mikhailov
Head of Information Security at iTPROTECT
In such cases, the main interest is such information as the time of arrival/departure of an employee to the office, what goods are stored in the warehouse, what vehicles, what is being loaded. If a safe falls within the visual range of the camera, attackers can monitor the amount of money that is in it. They can also track what time collectors arrive and what car they use to take money away. Also, hacking cameras can be used to find compromising information on specific employees. Finally, such attacks can serve as an intermediate stage to gain a foothold in the system and from there look for ways to get inside the entire infrastructure. A more banal scenario is also popular – arrays of captured cameras are used for DDoS attacks on third-party targets, and not at all for obtaining data.

In some cases, hacking video surveillance cameras in a company is the first step in an IT organization. But often, video surveillance recordings themselves become a tool of blackmail in the hands of intruders, and the loss of control over them can negatively affect not only the company, but also its customers. Banks, beauty salons, hotels and other organizations should be aware that a breach in their security system can lead to the leakage of sensitive and confidential data.

Anton Morozov,
Head of Information Security Development at MAKSOFT LLC
In my practice, there was a case when a beauty salon turned to us for help. A camera was installed in the depilation room, the criminals got access to it and began to blackmail the salon's management by draining the video to the network. We found out how they did it — it turned out to be an elementary password selection.

How to protect yourself from hacking video cameras​

Most often, the victim is completely unaware that someone is watching her. If the goal of the criminal is to get as much data as possible and break into the system, then he can remain unnoticed for a long time. Therefore, to ensure the security of confidential data and your devices, you need to take preventive measures.

Viktor Gulevich
Director of the Information Security Competence Center T1 Integration
You can use the following measures to protect your company's video cameras::

• Install updates and patches on your cameras regularly to fix known vulnerabilities.
• Use strong passwords to access your cameras and change them regularly.
• Restrict physical access to the cameras, such as installing them at a protected height or in a restricted area.
• Use network firewalls and IDS / IPS systems to monitor and detect attacks on cameras.
• Шифровать передачу видеозаписей и других данных, чтобы защитить информацию от подслушивания.

Information security experts also recommend separating video cameras into a separate network segment. This tip is relevant for both your company's system and your home network.

Sergey Polunin
Head of the Security Group for infrastructure IT solutions at Gazinformservis
It is good practice to separate all IP cameras into a separate network segment. This means that even if an individual device is compromised, it will not be possible to move into the internal network of the organization. With cameras on workstations, everything is even easier. A compromised camera is almost certainly equivalent to a complete compromise of the workstation, so the best way is to train users and properly protect them from viruses. It doesn't hurt to cover the camera with a special curtain, either.

When placing a camera in a company or at home, you should think about where it will be directed and what to shoot. For example, if you are monitoring a room with a safe, make sure that the entered combination does not fall into the frame. In addition, any filming that violates privacy is illegal, so you can not hang the camera in showers, changing rooms, toilets, treatment rooms, or shoot a neighbor's plot.

Conclusion​

The security of video cameras is very important. Attackers have a lot of ways to use access to the camera to harm the user: from simply leaking confidential information or pranks for fun, to blackmail and hacking the entire system.

Alexey Grishin
Head of the Pentest Department Infosecurity a Softline company
Hacking video cameras can lead to the leakage of confidential information, violation of privacy, or even physical threats. Attackers can search for access to video recordings, audio files, or even use cameras for spying.

A few rules will help you protect your devices from hacking:

• Change the default password and use two-factor authentication as well
• Update the software regularly
• Secure your network and all connected devices
• Close physical access to cameras

At first glance, the harmless fun of hackers can have serious consequences, so you should pay special attention to the security of video cameras, not forgetting about simple precautions.