Hikvision cameras secure?

[guyfromtoronto]

Hi there,

I'm looking for a camera solution. I was going to go with reolink but after reading some posts here I quickly backed off that.
I might go with HIK. But are they secure? I read that they have been banned in the US. I'm in Canada and they are not banned.

I'm concerned but the winter weather and if they will stay alive along with being secure.

I'm looking at these cams.

ENC324-XD/2.8

<p>4MP Network Dome Camera</p>

www.cctvdirect.ca

Here is a concerning article I read.

Hikvision, Corporate Governance, and the Risks of Chinese Technology | Strategic Technologies Blog | CSIS

The US government is cracking down on Chinese companies — including surveillance giant Hikvision — due to growing concerns about Chinese governmental interference. To appropriately evaluate the risks, the US must closely at the governance structures of these companies.

www.csis.org

Here is the solution that I'm looking to buy second hand. Only 5 cams work. This is for $500 cad. Is this worth it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[guyfromtoronto]

Only 6 work. 2 are dead. Not 5.

 

[d.lux]

I'm assuming here, but guessing they (hik) are banned from government solutions due to the RTSP admin@admin issue...

Looks decent

 

[wittaj]

EVERY camera has security issues. It is why most of us here isolate cameras from the internet. If you don't use P2P and UPnP, no reason for worry.

Hacking vulnerabilities are the same regardless of who makes the cameras...or any IoT for that matter...and that is why most of us here isolate our cameras from the internet...it's just irony that they are surveillance cameras...it flows better saying security cameras are not very secure but many here do not consider them security cameras as they are for surveillance!

And our wonderful government decided to "ban" Hikvision and Dahua from government installations due to being partly owned by the Chinese government and the potential to be hacked...yet fail to recognize the real problem are the cameras can be breached and then they get exploited with other manufacturer cameras because they failed to isolate them from the internet. End result is people/governments that shouldn't see the camera feeds are now seeing them...

Keep in mind this proposed ban is for government installations....not your home, private business, etc...and even at that the ban is just words at this point with no official document for agencies to go upon. The bill requires new rules for FCC approval and authorizations be established. Those new rules must be published before 11/22 - a lot can happen between now and then...

Yep, instead of our government forbidding public agencies from using Chinese brand cameras like Dahua and Hikvision because they could be used to be spied on by the Chinese government, they should have been looking at what the real issue is, and it is this issue that will be same regardless of who makes a camera. You need to get the cameras off the internet period.

We have already seen countless examples where governments facilities that installed expensive AXIS cameras that are NDAA compliant were hacked into...

And of course other camera companies are now going to try to use this ban to their advantage, but as a consumer, you need to decide what marketing nonsense to believe and which one to pass on.

Regardless of who makes the camera, it should be limited in its ability to reach the internet. So at that point, go with the camera that is going to give you the best chance of a good capture.

TLR - isolate the cams from the internet and they will not phone home.

As far as that deal, I think you could find better cams. Those are consumer based 1/3" sensors so they will perform poorly at night.

 

[looney2ns]

See this: SebastianTombs Cam Tips

And study this: Cliff Notes

 

[TonyR]

If you want a 4MP cam, don't go with a sensor smaller than 1/1.8" (1/3" is smaller).
That sensor size of 1/3" is actually smaller than what is the minimum recommended for a camera with half the megapixel count (resolution) pf that 4MP you posted.

Looney's post above with Sebastian's links to great cams is great info, IMO.

 

[mat200]

Hi there,

I'm looking for a camera solution. I was going to go with reolink but after reading some posts here I quickly backed off that.
I might go with HIK. But are they secure? I read that they have been banned in the US. I'm in Canada and they are not banned.

I'm concerned but the winter weather and if they will stay alive along with being secure.

I'm looking at these cams.

ENC324-XD/2.8

<p>4MP Network Dome Camera</p>

www.cctvdirect.ca

Here is a concerning article I read.

Hikvision, Corporate Governance, and the Risks of Chinese Technology | Strategic Technologies Blog | CSIS

The US government is cracking down on Chinese companies — including surveillance giant Hikvision — due to growing concerns about Chinese governmental interference. To appropriately evaluate the risks, the US must closely at the governance structures of these companies.

www.csis.org

Here is the solution that I'm looking to buy second hand. Only 5 cams work. This is for $500 cad. Is this worth it?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome @guyfromtoronto

Good posts from @d.lux @TonyR @looney2ns @wittaj

Summary:
1) ALL internet connected devices have info sec issues .. "security cameras" have a general track record of being very insecure despite their name from internet attacks / vulnerabilities.
2) USA bans on Hikvision / Dahua are more than only due to "technical" issues .. also due to political issues ( Uyghurs for example .. ) - note, the security issues for US Defense related and US corporations is a real issue .. as is for anyone, do not leave any IP camera exposed to the internet without some sort firewall to block attempts to access your cameras.
3) Hikvision /Dahua OEM IP PoE cameras in general are liked by members as many of the models they produce meet solid specs which allow them to work with Blue Iris.
4) If you need low light capabilities .. look for cameras with better and larger sensors .. they will cost more, however they will be very important.
( if you are on a tight budget consider a few better cameras covering key areas and cheaper cameras covering less key areas .. )
5) Winter weather .. I prefer junction boxes .. also a key is how you connect everything together .. search the treads here for that .. if you install the cameras and cabling right you can significantly extend their life ..

 

[Mark_M]

I was going to go with reolink

Even Shenzhen Reo-Link Co,. Ltd doesn't have good security.
Last year someone found out that they didn't even properly secure your passwords and that leaves the opportunity for the video stream to be hijacked.

New Reolink P2P Vulnerabilities Show IoT Security Camera Risks

Learn about the IoT security camera risks identified in new research from Nozomi Networks Labs (ICS-CERT ICSA-21-019-02).

www.nozominetworks.com

Any camera is going to have cyber vulnerabilities.
Don't just think it's one or two brands.

 

[v-milenin]

I used hikvision camera in the street during 3 years in different weather conditions (the temperature was -43C — +40C) and it worked well. I had an issue with poor isolation of RJ-45, but that was my fault.
Once a had a security issue with camera and upnp connection,- this was hacked several times.
Since connecting the cameras via NVR, i'm not having any security problems for about 6 years. The NVR has upnp access from the internet.

 

[Gargoile]

I have a few Hik cameras and like @wittaj has said, you isolate them from seeing the internet ( Locked down VLAN ) so they dont communicate to the mothership. I also remove and DNS setting in the cameras itself and even before I connect the camera to my network, I ban all the MAC address' on my routers, so even if I miss a step, they will not phone home.

 

[DanDenver]

Cheesy camera, poor specs.

 

[Gargoile]

Cheesy camera, poor specs.

Care to elaborate ? What is your non-cheesy camera recommendations?

 

[wittaj]

^It was mentioned in other posts above - the cameras are budget cameras that are 4MP on a 1/3" sensor. That makes them cheesy cameras, poor specs LOL. And to pay that for used budget cams. Forget about it.

 

[DanDenver]

@sebastiantombs has listed specific cameras many times on this forum that would be a great starting point.

Here is just one of those helpful posts (post #3):

Is there a such thing as a camera system that is not complete trash? Suggestions?

Pardon if I seem frustrated, but I grow tired of wasting money and more importantly time. . . . First system was a Lorex setup which has always been absolute garbage. Everything about the experience has been terrible. Their support I thought was the worst, but atleast I could get them on the...

ipcamtalk.com

Check out post #9 on this thread. Here @sebastiantombs lists out some great PTZ options and I went ahead and purchased several:

Hello from Eastern USA, looking to gain knowledge so I don't waste money.

Hi, everyone! This will be my first camera setup, I have gone as far to build out a dedicated PC and buy an IP switch and have stopped there until I can figure out exactly what cameras to purchase so I don't waste time and money on junk I won't be satisfied with. So far just browsing around here...

ipcamtalk.com

If you are visual like me, here is a graphical representation of the specs that work best for night time movement capture.
It is a good reference to see if a cameras specs are acceptable for night time movement capture (assuming that is important to you):

Night time camera selection w/motion involved

Everyone shops for a camera with a different approach to what might be the best camera for their install. I always check MP against sensor size as a way to remove undesirable cameras from my search. Once I found a camera with a desirable MP and sensor combo, I would then dig deeper on FOV...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Gargoile]

@sebastiantombs has listed specific cameras many times on this forum that would be a great starting point.

Here is just one of those helpful posts (post #3):

Is there a such thing as a camera system that is not complete trash? Suggestions?

Pardon if I seem frustrated, but I grow tired of wasting money and more importantly time. . . . First system was a Lorex setup which has always been absolute garbage. Everything about the experience has been terrible. Their support I thought was the worst, but atleast I could get them on the...

ipcamtalk.com

Check out post #9 on this thread. Here @sebastiantombs lists out some great PTZ options and I went ahead and purchased several:

Hello from Eastern USA, looking to gain knowledge so I don't waste money.

Hi, everyone! This will be my first camera setup, I have gone as far to build out a dedicated PC and buy an IP switch and have stopped there until I can figure out exactly what cameras to purchase so I don't waste time and money on junk I won't be satisfied with. So far just browsing around here...

ipcamtalk.com

If you are visual like me, here is a graphical representation of the specs that work best for night time movement capture.
It is a good reference to see if a cameras specs are acceptable for night time movement capture (assuming that is important to you):

Night time camera selection w/motion involved

Everyone shops for a camera with a different approach to what might be the best camera for their install. I always check MP against sensor size as a way to remove undesirable cameras from my search. Once I found a camera with a desirable MP and sensor combo, I would then dig deeper on FOV...

ipcamtalk.com

Thank you for the list. I asked this because this was in regards to Hilvision cameras and you made the statement even though that you use Hikvision as listed in your signature in your setups.

 

[DanDenver]

I generally follow specs not brands. But as I get more cameras, the Dahua interface seems to have the most/best options so really lean towards that brand due to that. But yes, I run numerous brands at this time.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Saying Hikvision or Dahua is like saying Ford or General Motors.

 

[wittaj]

I am sure others are in similar situation...it is why we do not give our cameras access to the internet!

Experts warn of widespread exploitation involving Hikvision cameras

Both government and criminal hacking groups are targeting Hikvision cameras with a vulnerability from 2021.

therecord.media