Use a VPN to Prevent Your Security Camera from Being Hacked

A smart home with interconnected and synced IoT devices can increase convenience and peace of mind. But do you know that they can be hacked easily if proper precautions are not taken and it could leave you and your family exposed and vulnerable?

Any and every smart device starting from your smart thermostat to smart door bells to smart door locks to remote garage door openers to burglar alarms are susceptible to hacking. But, the one item that is top on the priority list of most hackers attacking smart homes or businesses is security cameras. Sometimes, the live security camera feed is released on the internet to blackmail or embarrass you or the security camera feed can be used to get vital information about your home or business that can aid a thief or hackers can simply turn off the camera remotely without your knowledge and leave you exposed to attacks.

How can your wireless security camera be hacked?

A security camera can either be hacked locally or remotely. In order to hack it locally, the hacker will have to be in the range of the local Wi-Fi connection. He may then use brute force to guess the correct security passphrase or dispatch DDoS malware to jam the actual, legitimate request of the camera on the network or spoof the camera video streaming and get access to the actual footage.

The footage can also be accessed remotely also. Either, through a data breach, your login credentials may end up in wrong hands or when the data is uploaded to a secure server or cloud, it has to pass through an unencrypted path on the internet which can be hacked.

Since, these days most IoT devices are interconnected using a single network connection, if one device gets hacked, it is easy to hack all the devices and take command over the network.

How can a VPN help?

A VPN can be extremely useful in such a scenario. A VPN creates a safe tunnel-like passage for flow of the data. It uses two networks. One is the local network from the ISP and then using the second network, the data is sent to a highly secure sever through the tunnel and the entire path is encrypted. Moreover, your IP address will remain completely hidden and only the IP address of the server that you choose will be visible.

You can even log and check if any illegitimate entry requests have been made. In addition to choosing a VPN, you should also change the default password of your network and change it frequently, set a password for your camera and change it from time to time, update the firmware of your camera and definitely you shouldn’t port forward your wireless camera for security purposes.

Conclusion

Despite the possibility of breach of security, IoT is one of the biggest inventions and has made life easier. If proper care is taken and VPN is used, there is almost no chance of a hack. Secure your life and family with a VPN today if you live in a smart home. Importantly, it is highly affordable and won’t inconvenience you.