From the images of a room to those of the balcony but it can also be a garden or a garage: the phenomenon of private webcams that can access a potentially global audience with great risks for the privacy and the safety of people can access the net.
What happens on the net
The Internet is a world to be handled with care and so it is also and above all for the indiscreet eye of cameras to which you can have access without being computer professionals, far from it. “Thousands of cameras connected to the Internet, think about protecting us, are actually putting us at risk. In our latest research on we discovered over 40 thousand exposed cameras that broadcast live streaming on the internet “, Explained Joao Cruz, scientific researcher on the security of Bitsightchain on computer security.
What are the risks
“No passwords. No protection. Only out there. We launched the alarm for the first time in 2023 and, based on this last study, the situation has not improved “, He added the expert. These cameras that had been designed for security or comfort have become a boomerang where badly tentled can remotely control what happens in private and sensitive spaces, very often with owners in the dark about everything. In our country there are tens of thousands, from north to south, the webcams that can be accessed easily and at any time by spying on intimate moments of people’s daily life. In practice, thanks to platforms of all types (free and payment) you can access these devices connected with the web and the omelette is made.
How to defend yourself so as not to be spied on
In the vast majority of cases who can these webcams do not know that it is visible online, consequently the configuration was badly made or by the same user but also by the technician who installed them. Other times, as happens for social and email, for example, it is a good rule to change frequent username and password to avoid being hacked. Meanwhile, Bitsight experts advise you to check if your video camera is accessible from the Internet. “Try accessing you from a device outside your home network. If you can reach it remotely without accessing a safe app or VPN, it could be exposed “.
As mentioned, the access credentials must be immediately modified (especially if predefined), remote access must be deactivated: in the case of cameras on the domestic network there is no reason to allow external connections. “Keep the firmware updated. Manufacturers often release security updates that correct vulnerability. Regularly check the presence of updates and install them “, add the experts.
Finally, it is important to limit access with firewall and VPN ensuring that only those who are authorized can access
Feed of cameras using a VPN or firewall rules that block access from non -reliable sources. And then the unusual activities must be monitored by setting special notices for those attempts to access unexpected access.