The vulnerability affects baby monitors and cameras in over 19 countries.
A recent investigation by the SafetyDetectives cybersecurity team revealed a vulnerability in baby monitors due to their misconfiguration which could potentially allow dangerous parties to have unauthorized access to the camera’s video stream.
It was in mid-December 2020 that their team discovered various baby monitors amongst other RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) devices that did not require authentication for unknown parties to connect.
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RTSP is a set of protocols used by various cameras to control their streaming media which shows that it is not only baby monitors but also other cameras using RTSP (such as CCTV cameras) which could be unsecured and unsafe to use for some applications.
This not only allows harmful individuals to have access to private images of their child, their bedroom, and possessions but also poses a great danger to daycare centers that use baby monitors to allow parents to have access to their child’s activities.
If you monitor your child through a live-feed camera, it is important to understand why this is can be harmful, how these unauthorized connections occur and how you can prevent others from blocking access to your baby monitors or other RTSP cameras.
Screenshot of the live video stream from a misconfigured baby monitor (Source: SafetyDetectives)
