“Iran has gained access to security cameras in Israel with the aim of spying on Israelis in real time,” writes Bloomberg.
"A former Israeli cybersecurity official went on public radio with this warning: 'Turn off your home security cameras or change the password.'".
“We know that in the last two or three days, the Iranians have been trying to connect to the cameras to understand what happened and where their missiles hit to improve their accuracy,” Rafael Franco , a former deputy director of Israel ’s National Cyber Directorate who now runs the cybersecurity crisis firm Code Blue, said on Monday
See also: Bitsight: 40,000 security cameras exposed to breach
Bloomberg reports that a pro-Israeli hacking group, Predatory Sparrow, has claimed responsibility for shutting down a major Iranian bank. Iran's state-run IRIB News reported that Israel had launched a full-scale cyberattack on the country's critical infrastructure.
"A spokesperson for the Cyber Directorate in Israel confirmed that cameras connected to the internet are increasingly becoming a target of Iran's war planning. Photos of the impact sites in Israel, although circulating on social media, are usually hidden.".
Relatively inexpensive and ubiquitous private security cameras are often easily accessible and hackable, and can provide foreign intelligence agencies with information about where troops are located or help adversaries figure out where to drop bombs.
See also: Chinese hackers Salt Typhoon breached Viasat
While researchers have been warning about vulnerabilities in security cameras for over a decade, some in the industry say they can be mitigated by investing in higher -quality systems that offer regular software updates and by following proper installation procedures.
“Higher-quality security camera systems from vendors that take cybersecurity seriously will offer extensive configuration settings that allow for greater customization of the device and communications,” said Geoff Cole, marketing director at the Security Industry Association.
“Most consumers prioritize price over security in a surveillance system , even though a poorly protected camera can be a stepping stone to bypassing the wider network,” said Peleg Wasserman. “They don’t look at the security features of the device they’re buying. So there’s no incentive for the seller to beef up the security of such systems.”
“Consumers should remember that they are not the only ones who may have access to this camera,” he added. “I have seen people put a camera outside their home without knowing that it is also recording their neighbors or a sensitive object or even giving a panoramic view of a city, which can be useful for targeting.” In addition, private surveillance cameras often have a default password – sometimes as simple as “1 2 3 4” – which is rarely changed by the user, according to experts. Some systems automatically broadcast the footage online.”
See also: Hackers target US insurance companies
The hacking of security cameras and their use for espionage is one of the most disturbing and insidious aspects of modern digital warfare – and surveillance in general. The reason is that these devices, intended for protection, are transformed without the knowledge of their users into the “eyes” of attackers, with minimal technical difficulty.
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Whether it's a home, a business, or a public street, cameras are everywhere. They don't arouse suspicion, they don't go unnoticed – and yet they can transmit images and sound to a remote observer.
Source: www.documentonews.gr
