"3.5M IP Cameras Exposed, With US in the Lead"

Businesses and homeowners are increasingly relying on Internet Protocol (IP) cameras for surveillance. However, this gives them a false sense of security because threat actors can access and monitor a user's camera feed and use the unsecured device to hack into their network. According to new Cybernews research, the use of Internet-facing cameras is increasing exponentially. The Cybernews research team discovered 3.5 million IP cameras exposed to the Internet after looking at 28 of the most popular manufacturers, representing an eightfold increase since April 2021. Although default security settings have improved over the course of the review, some popular brands still use default passwords or do not require authentication, allowing anyone to spy on users. Furthermore, Chinese companies manufacture most of the Internet-facing cameras. While cosmetic security measures have been implemented, security leaders have long warned that the Chinese government can exploit Chinese companies' technologies. Most of the analyzed brands (96.44 percent of the discovered cameras) require users to set passwords or generate unique default passwords on the most recent models and firmware versions. This is a positive trend, but it does not imply that all cameras are safe, as the vast majority of these cameras are likely to be running outdated firmware. Currently, 3.56 percent (127,000) of all analyzed cameras recommend but do not enforce changing the default password. Over 21,000 cameras lacked an authentication setup, allowing anyone to access them and putting owners at risk of cyberattack. According to the study, most public-facing cameras that may be using default credentials are used in the US, where the team discovered over 458,000 such devices. Vietnam is the second most affected country, with almost 365,000 cameras, followed by the UK, with nearly 250,000 cameras. This article continues to discuss the surge in IP cameras, Chinese companies manufacturing the majority of Internet-facing cameras, the brands found to be the most insecure, and how users can bolster the security of their IP cameras. 

Cybernews reports "3.5M IP Cameras Exposed, With US in the Lead"