Be careful! Unprotected cameras allow insight into thousands of Hungarian homes

Due to user inattention, there are thousands of cameras worldwide – including Hungary – whose images can be seen freely by anyone on the Internet after a little searching.

Unprotected Hungarian cameras have been mapped by a Hungarian cybersecurity company called Alverad. Based on their observations, these are not just webcams in the classic sense, but Internet-connected security cameras, baby monitors, and all the other camera gadgets connected to the worldwide web.

Besides their usefulness, owners have to be careful as such cameras can easily become the main targets of cybercrime. Improperly protected, networked devices can be a considerable risk as – due to the lack of expertise – they can be accessed by anyone. Accordingly, as a result of user inattention, the devices’ vulnerability can also lead to strangers watching live that a mom just puts her sleeping baby in bed believing that no one else can see this in her home.

Furthermore, in addition to passive listening, they can even take control, for example, by moving the camera, stopping or starting recording, using the speakers.

As the Hungarian news portal Telex reports, it is not necessarily a problem in itself if a camera is available from the net due to remote controllability. It becomes problematic if the device is unsafe due to lack of protection or if the user is not careful enough. The most common mistakes are:

• the access of IP addresses is not restricted;
• default factory password is not modified;
• or even no password is set up for protection.