Many Surveillance Cameras Are Easily Hacked

The digital video recorders of several CCTV video cameras are vulnerable to attacks that create a means for hackers to watch, copy or delete video streams, according to security researchers.

The researchers added that unless systems are properly firewalled, security flaws in the the firmware of the DVR platform also create a jumping-off point for attacks aimed at networks supporting these devices. The hackable CCTV devices from an estimated 19 manufacturers all use allegedly vulnerable firmware from the Guangdong, China-based firm Ray Sharp.

The issue was first exposed last week by a hacker using the handle someLuser, who discovered that commands sent to a Swann DVR of port 9000 were accepted without any authentication. The vulnerability created a straightforward means to hack into the DVR's web-based control panel. To make matters worse, the DVRs support Universal Plug And Play, making control panels externally visible on the net. Many home and small office routers enable UPnP by default. This has the effect of exposing tens of thousands of vulnerable DVRs to the net.

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