Hackers are around, secure your surveillance cams

The Dubai police have blocked many suspicious websites, which hack surveillance cameras installed at homes and offices and stream the visuals online.
Major-General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, assistant commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police for criminal investigation, said that electronic patrols of the Dubai Police do not wait for people to complaint of such violations, as the police are alert about the worrying phenomenon or any kind of security breach.
The police have detected many cases of hacking of surveillance cameras in homes and companies, he said, adding that most of the cases occur as result of installation of the cameras by non-specialists who do not implement ways of securing and activating the protection system. This gives an opportunity for hackers to penetrate into these systems and turn them into a live transmission of whatever happens inside those homes and companies.
The general department of anti-cybercrimes has caught people who installed cameras that were hacked and violated the privacy of their owners, and found that the violation was caused by their inexperience.
The department urged the competent authorities, including the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, to close suspicious websites that broadcast surveillance camera visuals from houses and companies online.
Lieutenant Colonel Salim bin Salimin, deputy director of the department of anti-cybercrime at the Dubai Police, said that there are specialised programs used by hackers to decipher the codes of these cameras, and stream the visuals live. They may even use the content - images or video - to blackmail their owners.
"It is advisable to use specialists who are accredited by the authorities, as they will be able to secure the camera with a password and user name, which is difficult to hack.
"People ask friends or unknown people, who advertise their services on streets to instal the security cameras. This can be dangerous, said Lt Col Bin Salimin.
Major-General Al Mansouri said the police have found out that many sites, which livestream private visuals from surveillance cameras, are located outside the country. "The owners of these houses or companies have no idea about the hacking or livestreaming. They behave normally inside their premises without realising that their privacy is violated. This is dangerous," he said, adding that the police are taking every precautionary measure to monitor any illegal activities online.
The cameras could be breached even by intruding into the Wi-Fi network of the victim, experts said. By choosing an easy password for the Internet, people are giving an opportunity to the hackers to penetrate into network and the devices connected to that network, which will make things easy for the hackers, warned Maj-Gen Al Mansouri.
BOX
Why are you wearing those gloomy dress?
Lt Col Salim bin Salimin, deputy director of the anti-cybercrimes department, explained a situation faced by a victim.
After hacking into his surveillance system, the hacker managed to get the contact information of the victim.
While the victim was changing dress at home, he was contacted by the hacker. He was shocked when the man asked him: "Why are you wearing these gloomy clothes at home?"
Suddenly, he realised that his surveillance camera was hacked and his privacy was violated.
 
Steps to protect cameras
> Buy cameras from accredited companies and use certified professionals to instal the surveillance system
> Make sure that you change the username and password once the camera is activated and don't share it with anyone
> Know how to use the devices and save the footages
> Don't place cameras in places with specific privacy in the house, such as bedrooms or bathrooms
> Inform domestic helps or others that there is a camera, as this would maintain their privacy
> Companies should change passwords or access codes linked to the camera systems in the event that employees with access to them are removed
> Update the systems and secure them with the necessary protection programs
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Amira Agarib

amira@khaleejtimes.com