Posted on March 3, 2020 at 2:24 PM
UK’s Cyber-Defender Warns About Smart Camera Monitoring by Hackers
Security experts have warned that criminals are monitoring baby monitors and smart cameras over the internet.
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has advised people to reset their camera settings immediately after buying. According to NCSC, tweaking the camera settings will enable them to keep the cameras away from the scrutiny eyes of criminals.
It said that a hacker could easily observe a home through easy-to-guess passwords.
Technical Director at NCSC, Dr. Ian Levy, said the devices could be vulnerable to cyber attacks, despite the fact that the devices are “fantastic innovations”
So many devices accessed without authorization
There are several examples where devices are accessed without authorization. One of those cases is where some hackers were watching a couple from Leeds in their homes for many weeks without their knowledge.
In another instance, an attacker pretended to be Father Charismas and conversed with a young girl.
Thirdly, in 2017, an adult toy with an attached camera was breached by security researchers and all information stored in the camera was easily accessed.
Suggestions to prevent these breaches
Security researchers have suggested three steps smart camera owners can take to keep their devices away from the prying eyes of unauthorized persons.
They suggested that the owners should quickly change the passwords of their devices. The devices usually come with passwords that are easily guessed. They, however, warned users to quickly change the passwords to something that would be very difficult to guess.
The second suggestion is to regularly update the software installed in the camera. According to the security researchers, regularly updating the software will prevent and breach or vulnerability that may arise from outdated software. Thirdly, users should ensure they switch off the features that will let someone have remote access to the device. Since the hackers can get into the device remotely, the best way to keep the devices protected is to switch off any feature that will give others access to remotely control the device, the researchers said.
According to the researchers, the suggestions will help to minimize the dangers and vulnerabilities of the “Internet of Things.”
The growing number of connected devices in people’s homes means that the risk associated with these devices has also increased.
There are increasing challenges of protecting people’s privacy and data, as cyber-attackers are looking for means of dismantling the security protocols of these devices that do not have strong security protection.
The hackers constantly target cameras the provide details about the home of the users. The worst part is the fact that some of the users don’t even know the extent of risks these devices may pose when they are vulnerable to attacks.
Security often overlooked by manufacturers
The security researchers have noted that one of the main reasons why these smart devices are easily compromised is the less importance the manufacturers are placing on security. The manufacturers usually try to make these devices cheap and quick and often overlook the security of the devices. As a result, security is usually poor, giving hackers the opportunity of easy access to the devices.
The researchers said there should be new laws that would mandate the companies toad more security features on the devices. According to them, these will help reduce the extent of successful hacking attempts on smart devices.
Several security researchers and consumer groups have also supported the new laws that would improve the security features of the devices.
A consumer group, WHICH, has also supported the new law, claiming, “mandatory security requirements and strong enforcement” are needed.”
