Security tools and techniques that cybersecurity experts design for user protection are sometimes misused by hackers. They punch where it hurts the most – security devices like IP cameras that are designed to protect the privacy of users are attacked and then, these security devices are used as instruments to launch an internet attack on the organization. Precisely, cameras hacked in such a way play a significant part in security breaches.
Now, a user might wonder how a security camera that’s used for physical monitoring can be used to launch online attacks. The answers to all such questions are listed below.
- An IP camera runs on software. Every software can be hacked. If the software of the surveillance camera gets hacked, it will give hackers access to all other devices connected to the router that the camera is using.
- IP addresses, if stolen, can be fed on Google and the many google tools can actually be misused to find loose links in the camera(s) that the hackers can then exploit.
- The surveillance cameras, like all other systems in the company, are connected to a network. If they are hacked, that entire network can be hacked too.
These are some of the reasons that organizations prefer limiting the number of devices using the network that the security cameras are using.
Here are the different ways in which you can protect these devices.
- Since they are computers too (everything that runs on Wi-Fi actually works like a computer), they should have a strong backdoor password. Precisely, change the default password of the camera. Also, don’t use the same password for any two cameras.
- Enable advanced safety settings provided in the camera that will increase web security, send out warning notifications if an unauthorized source makes a login attempt, and so on.
- Keep installing the software updates released by the company every time they release one.
- Report bugs to the developers of the software that you’re using for your cameras so that those bugs can be fixed.
In fact, hiring white hat hackers is another way of foiling the security breach attempts.
A few ways in which your employees too can contribute to the organization’s cybersecurity are as follows.
- Not using the work system for personal use.
- Using VPN to monitor personal devices that they use to access company’s data.
- Not sharing the password of the work system and work ID with anyone.
If you, as an organization, can follow all these precautions, the chances that hackers will be able to steal information from your systems will be very less.
