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Hard-coded vulnerabilities that allow unauthorized access
Cameras sending data to Chinese servers without consent
Peer-to-peer connections that bypass your firewall
Factory passwords enabling mass surveillance
Update mechanisms used to compromise devices
Documented cases of cameras exploited in the wild
These CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) are not theoretical—they've been discovered, documented, and in many cases actively exploited against real systems.
CVE-2025-34067CVSS 10.0No Auth RequiredUnauthenticated RCE via unsafe Fastjson deserialization. Single network request grants full system control.
CVE-2025-31700CVSS 8.1No Auth RequiredStack-based buffer overflow in ONVIF handler allows full device takeover without authentication.
CVE-2025-31701CVSS 8.1No Auth RequiredBuffer overflow in undocumented RPC endpoint allows attackers to hijack system calls.
CVE-2017-7921CVSS 9.8No Auth RequiredHard-coded backdoor key (auth=YWRtaW46MTEK) grants admin access. Still actively exploited in 2025.
CVE-2021-36260CVSS 9.8No Auth Required80,000+ cameras exposed. Exploited by Mirai-based botnets and sold on Russian forums.
The 2017 Backdoor Still Works
CVE-2017-7921 logged over 6,700 exploit attempts between 2018-2025, with 2,000+ new attempts in 2025 alone. Cameras with outdated firmware remain vulnerable to a simple URL parameter attack.
Independent research shows Chinese cameras send data to servers in China—even when cloud features are supposedly disabled.
Sends encrypted registration data to ChinaNet (state-owned ISP) servers
Source: Kyiv Digital Forensics Lab
Transmits login credentials to uCloud servers even when cloud is DISABLED
Source: Kyiv Digital Security Lab
Video feeds potentially accessible to foreign governments
Camera can access other devices inside your network
Automatic tunnel bypasses your firewall security
Acts as quasi-VPN letting outsiders into your network
Why They Can't Be Trusted
The Chinese government has access to Hikvision's source code because Hikvision IS the Chinese government—it reports into CETC, which is the government's information technology division. Both Dahua and Hikvision have internal Communist Party committees.
Peer-to-peer camera protocols are designed to bypass your firewall—which is exactly what makes them dangerous.
Camera registers with P2P server using unique ID at manufacture
Server facilitates 'hole punching' through your firewall
UDP protocol achieves close to 100% NAT traversal success
Direct connection established, bypassing all firewall rules
iLnkP2P (Shenzhen Yunni Technology)
P2P Cloud Protocol
Security Expert Warning
"P2P and UPnP are the worst things you can enable security-wise. Whoever manages the P2P network essentially owns your system. Trust is forfeited to a third party, likely in China."
In 2016, the Mirai botnet proved that factory passwords on cameras can cause catastrophic damage at Internet scale.
Scanned Internet for open Telnet ports
Attempted login with list of default passwords
Infected devices with unchanged credentials
Built massive botnet army of 600,000+ devices
Launched DDoS attacks taking down major websites
These credentials were used to infect 600,000+ cameras in the Mirai botnet.
The firmware update process itself can be weaponized. Over 47% of firmware vulnerabilities relate to missing or improper verification.
Legacy Firmware
Devices running exploitable old firmware
Increase
In firmware attacks over 4 years (NVD data)
Average Age
Of firmware on vulnerable cameras
| Vulnerability Type | CWE Code | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Improper Signature Verification | CWE-347 | Attackers inject malicious firmware |
| Insufficient Data Authenticity | CWE-345 | Unauthorized firmware installation |
| Improper Authentication | CWE-287 | Unauthorized updates pushed |
These aren't hypothetical scenarios. Camera vulnerabilities have been exploited for warfare, criminal enterprise, and massive infrastructure attacks.
Russian missiles used compromised CCTV cameras in Kyiv for targeting guidance, killing at least 3 people.
Source: Ukraine State Security Service
IPVM researchers accessed a Hikvision camera inside BBC headquarters in just 11 seconds using the 2017 backdoor.
Source: BBC Panorama Investigation
Hackers sold access to compromised Hikvision cameras on Telegram, including footage from homes, medical offices, and locker rooms.
Source: IPVM Investigation
600,000+ cameras with default credentials formed botnet that took down Twitter, Reddit, Netflix, and GitHub.
Source: Multiple sources / FBI
Shodan and Censys index vulnerable cameras that anyone can find and access. Your camera may already be listed.
Systems Found
Camera/DVR/NVR systems on Shodan
Vulnerable Cameras
Using insecure P2P cloud protocol
Hikvision Cameras
Exposed with exploitable CVE-2021-36260
Security Cameras = Disproportionate Risk
Security cameras represent only 5% of enterprise IoT devices but account for 33% of ALL security issues—a 6x higher risk than other device types.
Inventory all cameras and firmware versions
Change ALL default passwords immediately
Update firmware to latest versions
Disable P2P and cloud features if not needed
Block camera Internet access if possible
Replace Chinese cameras with NDAA-compliant alternatives
Place cameras on isolated VLAN
Use VPN for remote access instead of P2P
Monitor network traffic for anomalies
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