Wireless Security Technology for Homes

Wireless Security Technology is the best to ensure surveillance and monitoring of your home from thieves and intruders. They also help one to keep on eye on his or her pets, toys, kids and other items. Home security is very important especially for someone who is constantly away from home.  It is important to install security devices since it is irritating when one has traveled for some days only to come back and find half of his belongings gone.

Technological Support

Thankfully, through technological support, there security devices that help in monitoring homes and properties even while one is away. Technological inventions have been done to come up with devices that use a wireless medium to transmit data collected in the form of a video feed. There a re great devices which are invented every year. The gadgets enable people to close check their children, pets and other properties while at jobs and working stations. This is efficient if there is a proper network connection where the owner logs in and accesses the events taking place at his or her place.

Wireless security technology for homes is facilitated by use of wireless security camera.  Before buying the home security camera, there are some factors which should be considered.

Resolution

Resolution is a key factor when selecting the type of wireless security camera. A good device should have a resolution which presents the image as way it occurs. The pretty standard resolution for home security camera is from 720 pixels to 1080 pixels. Resolution enables one to find the best quality of image viewed. It is key factor as one can easily monitor the activities at his or her home due to clear appearance of the images.

Field of View

Field of view is the area which a camera can efficiently monitor. The wireless security camera considered should be in a position to cover the area the owner the owner wants. The field of view is the position in which the camera can cover from right to left. The bigger the viewing field, the better. If a device is in a position to produce quality images even at long distances, it is the best recommendation. This will save funds since there will be no need of purchasing multiple surveillance gadgets.

Night Vision

Night vision is where a gadget can monitor and give visual images even at dark mode. Since most attacks and theft cases occur at night, the security camera with a clear night vision is preferable to enable monitoring. The device with the best night vision should be considered in such a scenario.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage enables security devices to store the video footage collected online. Most security firms and manufacturers of the devices cloud space for free.When one is purchasing the device, he or she should consider whether the free space provided is enough for storage of the footage or there is need for more. If there is need for more space one will pay from the store.

Security and Privacy

Privacy and security of the security device prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing the footage. The footage is encrypted with a password while being transmitted and decrypted by the owner. One should consider a security device whose companies offers a solid privacy and strongest security.

Reliable Internet Connection

The strong signal of the internet connection is crucial to allow timely transmission of the video footage. In return, it allows real time monitoring of homes.

Home security is important, and for traveling individuals, wireless security cameras are the best solution to them.

Hijacking Risks of Wireless IP Cameras

Hijacking occurs when the security of the server where the video feed collected by the camera is accessed and altered by unauthorized personnel. Hijacking mostly occurs in the transmission of the data over the network. Most of the wireless IP camera connected to the internet are at a high risk of being accessed by intruders and altering the firmware.  Since the devices are exposed on the internet, they can easily be attacked by hackers.

There are tutorials on the internet which enable the hackers to set port-forwarding rules in the router. The hackers begin by finding the camera from the search engines such as shodan for a HTTP header. The header must be specific to the web-based interface used by the camera. For companies which have configured their DNS like the Foscam have a hostname assigned to them such as [namespace].myfoscam.org. When the hackers scan the whole hostname, they can identify the Foscam cameras connected to the internet.

Methods of Attacks

Out of every ten cameras on the internet, one can log in with a default administrator username with no password. Most wireless IP cameras are hacked as a result of allowing attackers to have a snapshot of the memory of the device. Memory dump of the device contains the username and passwords of the administrator and other private, sensitive information. Other sensitive information remotely accessed by the attackers are details about the local network and Wifi credentials. Even with the latest firmware version, the vulnerability of the gadget can be manipulated with the access of the user details.

Request Forgery for a Cross-site

It is a method of attacking the devices using an interface which tricks the administrator of the camera to open a link which is specifically crafted. Through CSRF, the internet can the attacker can initiate a secondary administrator to the camera by creating another account.Through this, the attacker will run the device and even change the password.

Brute force

This is an attack carried out to the camera by the hacker to allow them to guess passwords of the administrator logins. Through brute force attack, the attacker extends the passwords trials from the limited 12 attempts.

Firmware attack

When the attacker gains access to the camera, he or she changes the version of the firmware. The new version of the firmware is downloaded from the internet, unpacked, a rogue code is then added to it and finally written back to the device.

Since the firmware is Uclinux based, the which a Linux operating system for devices which are embedded. In technical understanding, wireless IP cameras are connected to the internet as Linux machines. They can make arbitrary run in software such as botnet client or scanner hence the attacker can easily hack the firmware with a hidden identity.

Firmware Modification

This is another form of attack is through modification of the firmware to make it run in a port 80 of the proxy server and not the web interface. This will make the device to firmware to behave differently depending on the way the attacker prefers.

Web Interface Poisoning

In this scenario of attack, the web interface is positioned to load a Javascript code piece which is remotely hosted. Through this, the hacker will compromise browser of the camera administrator when he or she visits or accesses the interface.

IP Security Camera Scam

The system appears to be real and original, but they are imitations of the original devices. Most people go to the shops to purchase surveillance devices only to be given gadgets which are attached to a certain server and easily share the information with the outsiders.

Backdoor Access

Not all the employees in the manufacturing companies are trustworthy. Most people believe work is all about money. When an opportunity of fast income generation arises, most employees are unable to resist the huge offers promised. Therefore, the employees agree a deal with thieves to tamper the companies' devices. The devices are tampered in a manner that they will meet the thief's requirement. When the device is sold to a certain firm or company, the thieves will be able to manipulate the integrity of the system. They can also opt to closely eye check the operations and activities taking place with the aim of causing harm.

Cyber-attacks

Through the backdoor activities, it is easy for attackers to cause cyber security vulnerability. The attackers can attack the on the specific installation where the devices have been installed. They at times attack the server for transmission of the video footage leading to malfunction as the device. This is done through a code leaked at the backdoor enabling them to monitor both default and secondary administrator of the device.

Hacking

In the scam scenarios, the hacking is just an organized incident as the attacker has almost all the information regarding the device. It is like a damn Hollywood hacking as by just clicking one button; the attacker is in full control of the system. It is not easy for the manufacturer to control the incidence and recover the system unless they purchase and new box for the device or completely doing away with the gadgets. The hacking is also difficult for the manufacturer to realize the incidence took place.

Attacker Freedom

Through the backdoor activities, provides the attacker with the freedom of accessing and downloading passwords which are hashed through a web request which is unauthenticated. In this scenario, the attacker will not require a brute-force attack to change the password attempt requests. The attacker can also hide his or her IP address to hash password using JavaScript available in the user's browser. From there, the device can accept the hashed password as the login password.

Forgery

Forgery occurs in different incidences. One incidence is where the surveillance gadgets are made to appear real whereas they are a fake. Another fraud occurs by forging the root and trust of hardware. This is done in an open source through virtualization of the hardware.

The companies can avoid backdoor activities and leakages. This can be done through the installation of corporate firewall in the device. This will enable the device to use remote VPN access and prevent the device from external access by locking down the IP camera. Mitigation methods help the companies to reduce attack risks and prevent other risks caused by back door leakages.

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Some Disadvantages of Using Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, activities or changing information for the purpose of managing, influencing, directing or protecting people. This can be done through observation from a distance by means of electronic gadgets or interception of electronically transmitted information.

Surveillance is employed for intelligence gathering, protection of a process, person, group, prevention of crime or in crime investigation. Nevertheless, surveillance is also used by criminal organizations in planning and committing crime. Many civil liberties activists and groups often term surveillance as a violation of privacy. Many countries have certain restrictions when the public safety is at risk. Surveillance is used in maintaining security in various places, be it, airports, shopping malls or any institution.

With their many advantages, there are certain disadvantages that need to be kept in mind as well. This article will focus on disadvantages associated with these cameras:

The View of the Camera is Limited

This means that once the cameras are installed, they are capable of viewing a certain angle in a particular area. In case vandals plan to disrupt the condition of a particular place, they simply change the direction of the camera or spray something on the camera lens to hide the view. This gives the thugs room to continue with their mischievous act.   

Wired Technology

A major disadvantage of wired surveillance technology is that it cannot be ported in any other place. The camera has to be installed in a particular area and be left in that state for the rest of the time. This may cause limitations to the view being captured.

Wireless Technology

The technology of wireless cameras is such that they can be subjected to distortion due to other powerful devices that are normally installed alongside. The camera might not send proper signals to the output devices which may lead to security failure leading to an incorrect story behind any kind of vandalism.

Hackers

There are hackers all over the globe. This makes networked camera be very much keen on becoming the victim of such misdeeds which again lead to corrupted security systems. Hacking has become a global trend in the modern world. People can hack an entire device getting a lead on the footage that might be very important in terms of security.

Privacy

There are certain places that people need to have privacy, be it in toilets or changing rooms. Not all places that this privacy ethic is obeyed, some organizations still install the cameras in these places not considering what the outcomes might be.

Monitoring System

The cameras are not always capable of sending the right feedback which again can lead to the monitoring system to misjudge the whole scenario. There are situations when hacking simply is the monitoring area. The vandals can easily get information of whatever they need to know thus corrupting the security system as a whole.

In spite of these disadvantages, installing a surveillance camera has become one of the most crucial ways of maintaining the security of any business premises, home or even public place.

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