How To Keep Hackers Out Of Your Wireless Security Camera System
A wireless security camera system is excellent for when you want to monitor your home, office, or business. You don’t need to rip up infrastructure to install the cables, and you can even view the feed on your phone or computer if you’re using an IP-based wireless CCTV camera system.
Yet you do need to realize, however, that the wireless nature of these cameras mean that you need to take extra measures to prevent unauthorized entities from tapping into or even manipulating your security system.
Here are some useful tips to help you do just that:
Avoid purchasing second-hand systems. You may save a few bucks on a used wireless security camera system, but you run the risk of working with malware pre-installed or existing security features that have been modified one way or another. China has many platform for cheap and new Security system.
Purchase systems that encrypt their feed. This is important for IP security cameras, as encryption will prevent those without the decryption keys from accessing the feed. Look for SSL/TLS protection, which should show an “https” when you access the camera’s log-in page.
Change the username. Most wireless security camera systems come with a default username of “admin” or something similar. Change that as soon as possible, as this adds an additional layer of protection against hackers that will attempt to guess or brute-force their way through your cameras.
Use strong passwords and change them regularly. Work with at least 8 characters – but more is better. Make sure that the password contains at least one number, uppercase letter, lowercase letter, and special symbol.
Install strong firewalls and antivirus software.The firewall will prevent unauthorized individuals from remotely accessing and manipulating the computer that your wireless security camera system is connected to. The antivirus will help identify, block, and remove spyware or malware that could be monitoring your login credentials.
Never access the feed on insecure Wi-Fi networks. All the protection in the world will be for naught if you transmit the log-in credentials of your Wi-Fi security camera over an insecure network. Simply put, access your surveillance system only on a network that you know and trust – your home connection, your office connection, your mobile phone provider etc.
Update the firmware on your cameras and DVR. Some wireless security camera systems have vulnerabilities unique to that particular model. The manufacturers sometimes release firmware updates that address these vulnerabilities, so it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s website every now and then to see if they have critical updates available.
Create guest accounts for other people to use. If you are forced to share access to your wireless security system, don’t give out the admin account. Create a guest account instead, and then wipe that account when the other party no longer needs to access the surveillance feeds.
Regularly review the IP addresses accessing the system.Checking the IP history of your system lets you identify who has been checking the feed of your cameras. Take note of the IP addresses, and start investigating when an unknown IP address suddenly pops up.
It had never occurred to me before that a wireless security system was vulnerable – or that I would have to worry about it. Great, now I have something else to worry about.
Thanks for making me aware of this issue.