Leading the way to a safer digital world - Hikvision presents cybersecurity best practices to curb online criminals

Hikvision website’s “Security Center” provides cybersecurity information and tools for integrators and end users

The time is now to address the impact of cybersecurity threats on the IP video market. In the case of video surveillance systems, the main motives of cyber-attackers are usually to either cover up video evidence of crimes or to gain access to video that should be private.

“The use of video surveillance is growing across North America, not just for safety and security but for operational purposes as well. As it becomes more widespread, it’s important for users to understand the risks as well as the benefits,” explains Bob Germain, Director of Product Management for Hikvision USA. “Hikvision has a strong commitment to educate our dealers and end users about best practices for cybersecurity as it pertains to video surveillance.

Identifying cybersecurity vulnerabilities before exploitation

“We have established a special task force at our headquarters, the Network and Information Security Lab,” Germain adds.

“They are responsible for setting the company’s security standards, performing security evaluations and testing, and responding to security issues if they arise. We also have partnerships with third-party security data and analytics companies, which perform ongoing penetration tests and vulnerability assessments of our products.

“We firmly believe that manufacturers, security installers, and end users must work together to ensure the greatest level of cybersecurity possible,” Germain says. Hikvision has worked to increase cybersecurity by eliminating the use of default passwords, and by providing flexibility to change default ports to make IP appliances less “visible” on the network and, therefore, less prone to attack. By embracing third-party testing, the company seeks to find any cybersecurity vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Hikvision’s software limits where network traffic can originate. A variety of software tools make firmware and software updates easier, and the Hikvision website’s “Security Center” provides cybersecurity information and tools for integrators and end users.

“Once an item or video appliance is on the Internet, it is vulnerable,” says Joe Coe, Sales Engineer for Hikvision USA’s Northern California region. “However, there are simple best practices that can help.”

For more on cybersecurity in the IP video market, check out SourceSecurity.com’s Exclusive Technology Report: Meeting the Cybersecurity Challenge of IP Video Systems, available here.