ONVIF®, recognised for establishing open standards that enable interoperability of IP-based physical security products globally, has unveiled the Release Candidate for its Media Signing Add-on. This innovative standard introduces a method to confirm the authenticity and integrity of surveillance videos.
In the wake of increasing credibility challenges posed by manipulated and AI-generated content, such as deepfakes, the authenticity of surveillance footage has become crucial. The ONVIF Media Signing Add-on equips users with the ability to verify the origin of signed video footage and ascertain its unchanged state since creation, addressing these concerns for law enforcement, corporate investigations, insurance claims, and litigation proceedings.
Ensuring surveillance video integrity
Leo Levit, Chairman of the ONVIF Board of Directors, highlighted the importance of authenticity, stating, “Proving authenticity is central to trust in video. The Media Signing Add-on Release Candidate gives the security industry a standardised method to help counter manipulated video and defend authentic content.” By offering this as an open standard, ONVIF aims to foster transparency and build trust, allowing investigators, insurers, and legal entities to verify video from varied sources through uniform tools and workflows.
Upcoming discussions on video authenticity are scheduled during the GSX 2026 event in Atlanta, where ONVIF Ambassador Roberto Licari will deliver a presentation titled "Can Security Video Survive Generative AI?" on September 14 in Room B316.
Video signing process
The Media Signing Add-on provides network video devices, including IP cameras and video encoders
The Media Signing Add-on provides network video devices, including IP cameras and video encoders, with a standardised approach to cryptographically sign video during encoding.
This signing process connects the video to the specific device that generated it, ensuring the integrity of the video sequence. Supported verification or playback tools can then validate the authenticity of the signed video, tracking it back to its origin despite sharing across diverse platforms. Although the current version supports video only, future updates are anticipated to include audio support. Products claiming conformance with this add-on must adhere to an ONVIF profile as well.
Open source implementation for wider adoption
In a move to bolster transparency and streamline implementation, ONVIF has made the media signing framework available as an open-source project on GitHub. By publishing the signing and verification code, ONVIF offers camera manufacturers and client applications a transparent method for integration, while also inviting the developer community to review and contribute to the process. This openness is expected to promote trust in the authentication process and encourage widespread adoption within the security sector.
ONVIF members are currently able to access the specification and tools necessary for prototyping and testing via the ONVIF Member Portal, with expectations set for the final specification release in late 2026.
ONVIF®, whose open standards make IP-based physical security products interoperable worldwide, announces the Release Candidate for the ONVIF Media Signing Add-on, a standardised method for confirming the authenticity and integrity of surveillance video.
Surveillance footage matters most when it is relied upon after an incident, in settings such as law enforcement casework, corporate and internal investigations, insurance claims, and legal proceedings. Yet as manipulated and AI-generated video becomes more convincing, the long-standing assumption that such footage is genuine is becoming harder to defend. The ONVIF Media Signing Add-on enables those who depend on surveillance footage to verify where the signed video originated and whether it has been unaltered since it was created.
Integrity of surveillance video
“Proving authenticity is central to trust in video. The Media Signing Add-on Release Candidate gives the security industry a standardised method to help counter manipulated video and defend authentic content,” said Leo Levit, Chairman, ONVIF Board of Directors. “Making it an open standard ensures transparency, builds trust and enables investigators, insurers and courts to verify video from different sources using consistent tools and workflow.”
ONVIF will be speaking on video authenticity as part of the educational programming at GSX 2026, September 14-16 in Atlanta. Roberto Licari, ONVIF Ambassador, will present "Can Security Video Survive Generative AI?" on September 14 from 2:45-3:45 PM in Room B316.
Signed video sequence
The Media Signing Add-on gives network video devices, such as IP cameras and video encoders, a standardised method for cryptographically signing encoded video at the point of creation. The signing information links the video to the specific device that produced it and protects the integrity of the signed video sequence.
A video player or verification tool that supports the Media Signing Specification can then confirm whether the signed video is valid and trace it back to its source, even after the video has been shared across different platforms and services. The add-on currently supports video; support for audio is planned for future versions. To claim conformance with the Media Signing Add-on, a product must also conform to an ONVIF profile.
Combination of open code
ONVIF has released the implementation of media signing as an open-source project, publishing the framework code for both signing and verification on the ONVIF GitHub. Opening the code to the developer community makes the ONVIF method transparent and easier to implement for camera vendors and client applications alike, while allowing anyone to examine how signing and verification work.
That transparency in the technical implementation preserves trust in the authentication process and the integrity of the video itself. The combination of open code and easier implementation is expected to help the standard gain wider adoption across the security industry. ONVIF members can now access the specification and test tools for prototyping and testing in the ONVIF Member Portal. ONVIF expects to release the final specification at the end of 2026.
