Wizcase , a company that evaluates cybersecurity products , has uncovered 15,000 potentially vulnerable security cameras, many of which are located inside people's homes.
These cameras can be easily compromised by hackers.
These products belong to various manufacturers, including AXIS net cameras, Cisco Linksys webcam and Mobotix among others.
These security cameras can be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world, with a simple internet. Settings and user permissions were found to be accessible on many of them.
The vulnerable devices are found in many countries across the world, such as Australia, the US, Russia, the UK, Italy, France, and Japan, etc.
Data belonging to individuals, institutions, families, etc. is susceptible to risk from cybercriminals .
Some of the camera feeds include the interior of stores, people talking, and even children who will be in the camera's line of sight.
How did this happen?
“Web camera manufacturers try to use technologies that make device installation as seamless as possible, but this sometimes results in open ports without a configured authentication mechanism ,” Wizcase reports.
It was observed that many devices were not secured by firewalls or VPNs, and no additional security measures were taken after installation.
It is essential that webcams change their default settings to more secure ones. Wizcam also urges manufacturers to ensure stronger settings in the cameras they sell.
Possible impacts
In the wrong hands, access to such data is dangerous. The potential consequences are something we need to be aware of.
The public availability of users' personal data is a major problem. Illegal access to a live feed of a private space can lead to an increased number of crimes.
Data streams can be modified to erase traces of criminal records or to be used to the advantage of hackers.
