- Predetermined passwords and obsolete firmware are converting the house of their home into a public live broadcast, reports that it warns
- Thousands of exposed web cameras offer a front -row seat in private and corporate life
- A simple web browser is all that is needed to take a look at 40,000 unusual camera foods
Thousands of web cameras connected to the Internet, aimed at improving security and convenience, now involuntarily offer a window to private lives and safe environments.
The research carried out by Bitsight demands more than 40,000 web cameras worldwide are publicly accessible online, often without the knowledge of their owners.
These include security cameras, babies monitors, office surveillance systems and even devices within hospitals and factories.
A growing digital threat, not hypothetical
The research stands out how easily accessible these cameras are.
“Without passwords. Without protections. Just out there,” wrote João Cruz, the main security scientist of Bitsight Trace, pointing out that it does not require elite piracy skills or expensive software. In many cases, all that is needed is a web browser and a valid IP address.
“First we gave the alarm in 2023, and according to this last study, the situation has not improved.”
The images exposed range from innocent scenes, such as bird feeders, to much more sensitive views, such as home entry points, live food from living rooms, blackboards in office spaces and even operations within the data centers.
Occorunatingly, disturbing conversations have emerged in dark web forums, where some users share methods to locate exposed cameras or even sell access to live foods.
“This is not hypothetical: this is happening at this time,” Cruz emphasized.
The United States leads approximately 14,000 shows exhibited, followed by Japan, Austria, Checia and South Korea. These are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader failure in the way in which the cameras connected to the Internet are implemented and managed.
Bitsight team scanned HTTP and RTSP cameras, and the results suggest that these figures can only scratch the surface.
Many of the exposed devices result from basic configuration errors: default credentials, open internet access and obsolete firmware that leaves vulnerable systems.
While suppliers and manufacturers must improve the safety of devices, users also share responsibility.
Choosing products examined for cybersecurity can help, but users must also match their camera settings with tools such as leading antivirus software and first -level parental control solutions, which often include network monitoring to obtain unusual access or unprotected devices.
Ultimately, private users should always verify the remote accessibility configuration, change predetermined passwords, update the firmware regularly and, especially for companies, enforce Firewall protections and require VPN access.
