Cybersecurity experts said that the human factor and distraction are the main ways attackers use to gain access to video cameras.
"Almost any camera can be accessed. Nowadays access to these cameras is already provided, as a rule, including via the Internet, and not only as part of a specific cable connection," said hacker, information security expert Oleg Kupreev.
He noted that one of the most common mistakes of users is leaving the login and password by default. This makes it easier for an attacker to hack the camera and gain access to it.
Unlike private cameras, Smart City cameras, which are used for the face recognition system, are better protected: they do not have direct Internet access, and they are located only on the departmental network of the system.
"But even here there are vulnerabilities - the human factor", said Vladimir Makarov, Chief audit specialist of the Information security Department of T.Hunter.
"There are one-time cases when police officers sell access to cameras. Most often, this is investigated, and these people are punished to the fullest extent of the law. This system is protected from an attempted attack on the cameras," Makarov explained.
He is sure that it is necessary to ensure that cameras are not in places of people's private lives. For example, in the locker rooms of a fitness club.
"Cameras can be installed in the lobby, make them visible, and place a warning so that people know that they are being filmed", the specialist added.
At the end of October, Andrey Telenkov, CEO of the NtechLab technology developer company, said that a system may appear in a number of Russian cities by the end of 2022 that will use video cameras to recognize fights, accidents and other offenses.
Earlier, CySecurity News reported that thousands of private CCTV cameras have been hacked in Russia. Many of these devices are located in hotels, massage rooms, salons where intimate haircuts and depilation are done.
