Body Cameras Vulnerable to Hacking

Body cameras are vulnerable to hacking and are cybersecurity time bombs, an online security expert has claimed.

11:29 27 August 2018

Body cameras, which were recently introduced to enhance police accountability, are now facing increasing scrutiny from privacy advocates, with one expert describing them as ticking cybersecurity time bombs.

 

Josh Mitchell, a consultant at the security firm Nuix, demonstrated how body cameras can be hacked, which can result in a number of problems: officers can be tracked while wearing them, footage could be deleted or manipulated and the cameras can be used to spread ransomware.

 

Mitchell said: “These videos can be as powerful as something like DNA evidence, but if they’re not properly protected there’s the potential that the footage could be modified or replaced. I can connect to the cameras, log in, view media, modify media and make changes to the file structures. Those are big issues.”

 

Mitchell tested cameras from CeeSc, Fire Cam, Patrol Eyes and Vievu. He said that the cameras don’t use cryptographic mechanisms to confirm firmware updates or uploaded videos are legitimate. He also found that the cameras do not have a mechanism that can protect the integrity of uploaded footage to make sure that they will not be manipulated.