“Yes. I have CCTV running 24/7, connected to an NVR. I can even monitor all office activity on my mobile.”
But are you sure there is no other user accessing your system in parallel?
There might be. According to recent surveys, 40–60 percent of CCTV cameras are vulnerable to insider threats and external attacks.
An insider attacker can gain a complete view of your network, especially if the IT department is vulnerable to social engineering. This is a common scenario in many organizations. While training and regular updates to IT policies can help reduce the risk, they often only mitigate the problem to a certain extent.
What can an external attacker do to your network?
If you have a static IP from your ISP to access your DVR or NVR, an attacker can easily perform an IP scan for commonly open DVR ports on the WAN. This can expose IP addresses and camera details associated with your surveillance system.
Tools such as Metasploit, specifically the cctv_dvr_login module, can be used to discover and test the security of standalone CCTV surveillance systems. These systems are widely used in retail shops, residential communities, homes, and business environments. Many of them are vulnerable to exploitation, allowing attackers to gain remote access.
Remote access services are often enabled by default. This may allow attackers to:
Stream live video footage
Control camera movement (if supported)
Access stored recordings
Most people using CCTV surveillance systems are unaware of features such as remote access and monitoring capabilities, especially if they rely solely on a local video console. This lack of awareness makes it easier for attackers to gain and maintain remote access without the legitimate user realizing that their system—and stored footage—has been compromised.
Many CCTV cameras and routers are shipped with default usernames and passwords, such as:
Username: admin | Password: admin
Username: admin | Password: 12345
Username: admin | Password: (blank)
Username: admin | Password: 9999
Lists of default credentials are widely available online. If default passwords remain unchanged, attackers can easily gain access. In more advanced attacks, password-cracking tools such as Hydra may be used.
Yes.
Recent studies show that cybercriminals have exploited vulnerable CCTV cameras—common Internet of Things (IoT) devices—to launch Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
Attackers target surveillance cameras and DVRs in commercial environments to build large botnets capable of taking down major websites by flooding them with traffic. This is often possible because administrators fail to change default passwords or take basic security precautions.
In March 2014, a team of security researchers from Imperva’s Incapsula warned the public about CCTV-based botnet attacks. In later findings, DDoS attacks peaked at 20,000 requests per second, originating from nearly 900 compromised CCTV cameras running Linux-based embedded systems using the BusyBox toolkit.
Further analysis of a compromised camera in a shopping center revealed infection by variants of malware such as Bashlite, Lightaidra, or GayFgt, designed specifically for Linux ARM systems. The most common attack involved HTTP GET request flooding. Infected cameras were traced across countries including India, China, Iran, Indonesia, the United States, and Thailand.
To protect your organization from such threats:
Change default vendor usernames and passwords immediately
Use strong, complex passwords
Restrict access to trusted IP addresses only
Expose CCTV systems to the internet only if absolutely necessary
Regularly scan networks for vulnerable devices using updated security tools
Remember: today’s security feature can become tomorrow’s vulnerability.
Update camera firmware regularly
Keep cameras on a local network whenever possible
Enable password protection for video streams
Rename or remove default admin accounts and create new administrator credentials
Enable WPA2 encryption with strong passwords for wireless cameras
Avoid placing IP cameras in highly private areas—always assume that if you can see it, others potentially can too
Are you looking for penetration testing services? Look no further—contact us today. We provide penetration testing services in the USA, UK, UAE, and India. Our proven expertise helps strengthen your organization’s security posture and protect your critical assets.