Can my security cameras be hacked?
Updated: Jul 25
You’ve seen it on the news and most certainly in the movies - baby monitors hacked by predators, laptop webcams secretly filming unsuspecting victims for blackmail, and home security cameras compromised by nefarious sources to spy on or invade people’s privacy.
Now that you’re sufficiently alarmed…let’s take a closer look at how this happens, and more importantly, how to prevent being the next target.
The Bad News: Any device connected to the internet can be hacked.
Below are the most common and easy ways to identify if your camera system or baby monitor has been hacked.
If you hear strange noises or voices - hackers are potentially spying on you and attempting to communicate with your children.
If you see abnormal movement and the camera rotates, follows your movement or you find it facing a different direction than usual - the pan-tilt function is likely hacked and movement is being controlled by an outside source.
Changes in security settings and spiked network usage - if you notice your username and password have been changed or if you notice an increase in data flow - hackers could have compromised your system and are attempting to access your system.
If you notice the LED light blinking or the LED light is illuminated but you didn’t activate that feature - chances are an outsider is turning your cameras or baby monitor on.
The Good News: You can prevent a hacker breaching your system and invading your privacy with these simple steps.
Select a reputable company - use established brands to purchase your cameras and be sure they include advanced encryption features. IP cameras are best with advanced security features enabled, including SSL/TLS encryption WPA2-AES encryption.
Use strong and unique password settings - never use the system provided default username & password and be sure to change passwords regularly.
Don’t access your system on public and unsecured networks.
Limit the number of devices - only use a few necessary personal devices (laptops, ipads, cell phones) to access your system and ensure they too are password protected.
Periodically check login history - ensure you recognize all login attempts to your camera system.
Secure your home network router - check that your WIFI network has a strong and unique password. Particularly if your camera system is wireless, ensure the WPA2 encryption feature is activated.
Install firewalls and antivirus software - firewalls can prevent your cameras from being hacked, and antivirus software can prevent viruses and malware that contain hacking software.
Almost every real breach starts with a password
The dramatic version of camera hacking involves someone defeating encryption. The actual version is far more boring. Someone left the manufacturer's default password in place, or reused a password that had already leaked in a breach of some unrelated website.
There are search engines that index internet-connected devices, and lists of default credentials for every major camera brand are freely available. Nobody has to target you specifically. Automated scanners find exposed devices constantly and try the obvious credentials. Change the default password on the recorder and on every camera, use a different password for each, and use a password manager so you are not tempted to reuse one.
Port forwarding is the biggest self-inflicted wound
To view cameras remotely, a lot of installers open a port on your router and point it at the recorder. It works, and it also publishes your recorder to the entire internet, where those automated scanners will find it within hours.
There are two better ways. Most modern systems support a cloud or peer-to-peer connection through the manufacturer's app, which does not require an open port. For businesses and communities that need more control, a VPN into the network is the stronger option: you connect to the network first, then reach the recorder, and nothing is exposed publicly. If your system was set up with port forwarding, that is worth revisiting.
While you are in the router, turn off UPnP. It lets devices open their own ports without asking you, which quietly undoes the work.
Firmware is not optional
Security vulnerabilities get found in camera and recorder firmware regularly, and manufacturers patch them. A system running firmware from five years ago is running with every publicly documented vulnerability from those five years still open.
Most systems will not update themselves. Someone has to do it, and it is easy to skip because the cameras appear to be working fine. Put it on a schedule, or ask your installer whether firmware maintenance is something they handle.
Keep cameras off your main network
Security cameras are the least secure devices most people own, and they usually sit on the same network as laptops, phones, and anything holding financial information. A separate VLAN, or at minimum a separate network for cameras and other connected devices, means a compromised camera is a contained problem rather than a doorway into everything else.
This takes a capable router or switch, but it is one of the highest-value changes available and it costs nothing beyond the setup.
Wired beats wireless
A wireless camera is one more radio to attack and one more thing that drops when the WiFi does. Wired cameras over ethernet with power over ethernet are more reliable and reduce the attack surface. Where cable genuinely cannot go, wireless is a legitimate answer, but it should be the exception rather than the default.
Two questions to ask about your own system
First: who else has the admin password? Some installers keep admin credentials so every change has to route through them. That is a business practice, not a security measure, and it means your system's security depends on how well someone else protects their password list. You should hold the admin credentials for equipment you own.
Second: is two-factor authentication enabled on the mobile app account? Most major platforms support it now and most users have never switched it on. It takes two minutes and it stops credential stuffing cold.
If you think you have already been compromised
Disconnect the recorder from the internet, change every password from a different device, check the user list on the recorder for accounts nobody created, review the access logs, and update the firmware before you reconnect. If cameras have been panning on their own, if you hear audio from a speaker, or if you find unfamiliar logins, treat it as a real breach and not a glitch.
Give us a call and let HDSS help you with your security needs.
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